


Muffin

by Slytherin_vikiss



Category: DC Cinematic Universe, DCU (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Suicide Squad (2016), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, Child Abuse, F/F, Gotham, Past Child Abuse, Romance, Suicide Squad, girlxgirl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-08-12 02:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 54,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7917379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherin_vikiss/pseuds/Slytherin_vikiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meghan had the brilliant *sarcasm activated* idea of attending college on the most dangerous and corrupt city of the country.<br/>Her father's golden rule was "don't draw attention upon yourself". But being the daughter of a billionaire, living in Gotham city of all places, was like having a shiny sign upon her head.<br/>The Jokers finds out about her, but instead of bumping into him, Meghan crosses paths with his girl.<br/>Harley/OFC<br/>Marvel/DC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about any spelling or grammar mistakes. English is not my first language. Feel free to correct me if you notice something wrong.  
> I hope you enjoy it! :)

The room was dimly lit. He didn’t like lights, they were so...bright. It was disgusting.  
Sitting on a purple couch, he toyed with a file. It was quite thick, proof of the hard work of his men; nevertheless, he killed the guy, he didn’t like the way he was looking at his pet.  
She sat opposite him, on a red couch. Her dress was black, shiny and tight; just like she knew he liked. Sighing, she leaned on her side, watching him.  
His eyes drifted from the file towards his pet, and smirking, he made a motion for her to come closer.  
She obliged. Smiling, she got up from her seat and sliding towards him like a snake.  
“Puddin’ “  
She sat on his lap and toyed with his hair. He didn’t like that, and she knew it.  
It took him a few seconds to start talking, in which time she studied his expression.  
Joker was bored, and when he got bored, someone got hurt.  
“Who do you think” he finally asked Harley, caressing her pale face “takes their safety for granted?”  
She tilted her head, listening.  
“Whom think themselves untouchable?”  
She smiled, showing her perfect teeths.  
“Are you talking about the richs?”  
He smirked.  
“Exactly.” He leaned forward until their noses brushed against the other “And, guess what?”  
Harley giggled.  
“What, puddin’?”  
He held up his phone, showing her a picture of a man. He was of average height, handsome, with brown hair.  
“I just found us the perfect new toy”  
Harley’s eyes lit up, and with greedy hands, she took the file he offered her


	2. The clown's queen

**You have come here**   
**In pursuit of your deepest urge**   
**In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent, silent**   
**I have brought you**   
**That our passions may fuse and merge**   
**In your mind you've already succumbed to me**   
**Dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me**   
**Now you are here with me, no second thoughts**   
**You've decided, decided**   
**Past the point of no return**   
**No backward glances**   
**The games we've played till now are at an end**   
**Past all thought of if or when**   
**No use resisting**   
**Abandon thought and let the dream descend**   
**What raging fire shall flood the soul?**   
**What rich desire unlocks its door?**   
**What sweet seduction lies before us**   
**Past the point of no return**   
**The final threshold?**   
**What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn**   
**Beyond the point of no return?**   
**You have brought me**   
**To that moment where words run dry**   
**To that moment where speech disappears into silence, silence**   
**I have come here**   
**Hardly knowing the reason why**   
**In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent**   
**And now I am here with you, no second thoughts**   
**I've decided, decided**   
**Past the point of no return**   
**No going back now**   
**Our passion play has now at last begun**   
**Past all thought of right or wrong**   
**One final question**   
**How long should we two wait before we're one?**   
**When will the blood begin to race**   
**The sleeping bud bursts into bloom?**   
**When will the flames at last consume us?**   
**Past the point of no return**   
**The final threshold**   
**The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn**   
**We've passed the point of no return.**

**“Point Of No Return”**   
**By: Andrew Lloyd Webber.**   
**From: The Phantom of the Opera.**

 

* * *

 

That day, Natasha was only capable of two feelings: concern and annoyance.  
The russian woman was starting to hate ‘Les Misérables’.  
It was a sad and beautiful story, but ever since Meghan had watched the movie two weeks ago there had been nothing but the soundtrack all around the apartment.  
“ _My place is here; I fight with you”_  
And the car.  
“ _One day mor_ e”  
Meghan stopped singing and lowered the volume.  
Natasha almost thanked god for it.  
“You got tired of of Jackman’s vibrato?” asked the redhead, sighing with relief.  
“No. I just find it frustrating not being able to sing all the parts at the same time”  
“You call that singing?”  
The brunette chose to ignore that question.  
“On a scale of one to Éponine; how much is Tracy on the friend-zone?”  
Tracy Sullivan was in one of Meghan classes, and everybody knew she had the hots for Adam Jackson.  
Everybody except Adam.  
“Alex Stewart “  
Meghan smiled.  
“So she still got a chance!”  
Meghan took the nearest exit and pressed the accelerator.  
A few minutes passed with small conversation before they had to stop at a red light.  
A couple of children rushed to cross the street, and in the mass of people, Natasha and Meghan saw a woman.  
She was tall and had short, blond hair, but it wasn’t her looks what got their attention, rather than the bruise on her right eye.  
She passed in front of them without looking in their general direction, taking the well known shortcut through the Central Park.  
The light turned green but Meghan didn’t seem to have noticed, her eyes glued on the entrance of the park. Natasha elbowed her.  
“You ok? Want me to drive?”  
Meghan looked at her as if she were just waking up from a trance. The sound of a horn startled her, and Natasha was kind enough to give the person her favorite finger.  
Meghan smiled and turned right.  
“No, no. I’m perfectly fine. Just thinking about what to get Alfred for christmas. He has too many aprons”  
Natasha knew something was off. The smile was frozen on Meghan’s face, and although the russian was pretending to scroll through her phone, she was keeping an eye on the girl next to her and the road ahead of them.  
The car came to a stop and she looked up, noticing that they had arrived at Gotham University.  
Natasha grabbed her bag and turned to look at her friend. She hadn’t let go of the wheel, and the smile was still present.  
“You ok?”  
How many times had she made that question in the last twenty minutes?  
It took Meghan a few seconds to answer.  
“Yeah. Of course I am. Why do you ask?”  
“Because we’re here, and unless you’ve forgotten your homework again, you got no reason to hide”  
Something was wrong. Something had always been wrong with Meghan, but nobody except Natasha seemed to notice. She had known something was off with her within the first two weeks of knowing her.  
Meghan was fifteen at the time. She was a skinny little crying mess. Natasha remembered the day they met as if it were printed on her memory like fire.  
It probably was.

 

* * *

 

_She and Tony were waiting at the door of Manhattan’s most prestigious hospital._   
_Rhodey was on his way.They had gotten a lead on Amanda Parker’s whereabouts._   
_When Tony had answered the phone two hours earlier, his world fell apart, only to build itself again at the same time._   
_Amanda was dead. She had been for a while._   
_But he had a daughter. At least, Rhodey was pretty sure she was Tony’s._   
_“She’s got your eyes” he said over the phone._   
_Tony was devastated when he heard about his best friends death, but he had also felt happiness and anxiousness when he heard about this girl, Ana._   
_The happiness had lasted for about two seconds. Rhodey hadn’t gone into much detail, he only said that she was in a bad shape and required medical attention._   
_When Tony did nothing but stare at his phone as if it were the first time he saw one, Natasha stepped in and took care of everything._   
_Two hours and a half later, an SUV pulled in._   
_The doctors and nurses rushed out the door just as Tony stood from the place he had been sitting on the floor._   
_The sudden movement rushed blood back to his legs and he tripped._   
_Natasha grabbed him before he hit the floor._   
_“Stupid imaginary ants” he mumbled._   
_One of the doctors pulled a tiny bund out of the vehicle, and carefully placed it on a gurney._   
_Just as fast as they had come out, the doctors and nurses rushed back in._   
_Tony followed without sparing a second._   
_Natasha and Rhodey followed close behind him and blocked his path._   
_“You can’t go in there” said Natasha, keeping a firm grip on him._   
_Tony saw her. For a brief moment, at least. Her dirty hair was just like his, but with some wild curls on it. She was too pale, and most of her face was covered in bruises. Her cheeks were hollow and her brown eyes were red._   
_Maybe it would be better for his mental health to remain ignorant as to what had happened to her._   
_“What happened?” he heard his voice asking._   
_He was too curious to not know, and besides, if the girl had gone through hell and back, why could he not know the details? How could he help her if he didn’t know what had happened?._   
_Rhodey and Natasha shared a look. She didn’t know the story either, but from the looks of it, it was bad. They weren’t sure if Tony was ready to hear it._   
_He asked again, this time louder._   
_Sighing, Rhodey told them what he knew so far._   
_I will spare you those details for now. It is, after all, Meghan’s story, so it would only be right if she told it; otherwise, we would never win her trust. Without trust, how can we expect that our dear Meghan will tell us how this ends_   
_I will let you know, however, that Tony didn’t take the story very well._   
_He pulled at his hair in a vain attempt to stop the tears. His poor Amanda, and the girl. She was just a child!_   
_In the end, a nurse had to give him something to calm down, while Natasha went to talk with the doctors and Rhodey took care of everything else._

 

* * *

 

_Meghan woke up disoriented._   
_All she could remember was the weight of Charles on top of her fragile body, his awful alcohol infected breath, a blast, people screaming and someone trying to calm her down._   
_She closed her eyes at the sudden light invading her._   
_A gentle hand touched her shoulder._   
_“Hey, It’s all right” said a feminine voice._   
_Meghan tried to scoot away, but the woman didn’t let her._   
_“It’s ok, you’re safe. We’re not gonna hurt you” her voice was smooth, almost hypnotizing._   
_Slowly, Meghan opened her eyes again._   
_The woman in front of her gave her a small, reassuring smile. She held up a small cup._   
_“Here. Drink something”_   
_Meghan eyed the cup with suspicion. How could she know if it was poison?_   
_Another thought entered her mind: she didn’t really care if it there was poison in the water._   
_She took the cup with shaky hands and drank it up in two big sips._   
_Gently as to not startle her, Natasha sat next to her at the edge of the bed._   
_“I’m Natasha Romanoff. I work for that douchebag over there” she introduced herself, pointing towards Tony, who was sleeping on a chair by the window._   
_The redhead extended her free hand (the other was rubbing small circles on the teenage back). Slowly, Meghan accepted the hand._   
_“I’m Meghan Parker. I don’t have a job, I just study”_   
_Natasha smiled. She was Tony’s daughter, for sure._   
_“Meghan?” she asked. Rhodey had said that her name was Ana._   
_The brunette nodded._   
_“Meghan’s my middle name. I like it better”_   
_The assassin seemed fine with the answer._   
_As if she had suddenly remembered something, Meghan sat up straight, her whole body tense. Her eyes travelled across the room at such a speed that she got dizzy._   
_“Where’s...um,...”_   
_“Don’t worry” Natasha guessed the question before it was made. She took Meghan’s delicate chin between two fingers and forced her to look her in the eyes “He’s in jail. You’re safe with us”_   
_They stared at each other, sharing a secret, wordless conversation._   
_Finally, Meghan nodded._

* * *

 

_Meghan had to stay at the hospital for almost a month. She barely spoke to anyone who wasn’t Natasha, and she ate a lot, which was good._   
_She also cried a lot, and refused the first three therapists who tried to talk with her._   
_The fourth got lucky. He was a tall man with shiny red hair._   
_Natasha suspected it was greasy._   
_But it was when Meghan first agreed to sit alone with him, that Natasha understood why Meghan trusted her enough to talk._   
_The red hair reminded her of her deceased mother._   
_The therapist name was Luke, and Meghan liked him because he didn’t looked at her as if she was a wounded animal. He always smiled at her, and she felt like a normal person. It was a foreign feeling for Meghan, but she enjoyed it._   
_Of course, Natasha had bugged the room._   
_Luke and Meghan barely talked about what had happened to her._   
_They talked about science and history. Natasha noticed her knowledge was advanced for a fifteen year old._   
_“Did you know how people prevented pregnancies in the Ancient Egypt?” she asked._   
_Natasha raised her eyebrows. She was sure that wouldn’t help her with her trauma, but Luke played along._   
_“No, I’m afraid not” he said, putting his pen down._   
_“Well, the men had to put his member on onion juice, or they would use crocodile poop.” Meghan spoke as if it were normal._   
_Natasha was speechless, trying to imagine all the infections women got thanks to that._   
_Luke also seemed at a loss of words._   
_“Um,..well...IT WAS five thousand years ago. They were quite primitive, don’t you think?”_   
_Meghan shook her head, disagreeing._   
_“Nah, they even performed brain surgeries. They were really clever and civilized”_   
_Luke nodded, impressed._   
_“And if a man raped a free women, he was castrated”_   
_Luke saw his opportunity._   
_“And what do you think about that?” he asked, grabbing his pen once more “Do you think Charles should be castrated? Or maybe he should get a worse fate’”_   
_Natasha saw Meghan body tensing. The girl had slipped, and now they were out of her comfort zone, again._   
_“It won’t fix the damage he’s done” she answered, her voice as tense as her body._   
_“Is that how you see yourself? As someone damaged?”_   
_“The pyramids weren’t constructed by brute force, as many believe; there was a shit tone of maths behind it. Want me to explain?”_   
_She seemed to have a nice amount of knowledge on every subject. It was no big surprise though, being the child of two geniuses._   
_Rhodey had said that Amanda had been almost as smart as Tony, but fragile of mind._   
_Meghan asked a lot about the mind, and Luke seemed happy to answer._   
_What surprised and worried Natasha though, was how easily Meghan was able to empathize._   
_Luke, of course, also noticed this._   
_He often placed her in hypothetical situations involving different kinds of people._   
_Most people would agree with one party, but Meghan always agreed with all of them._   
_“Let’s say that there’s a dog and his owner” Luke began to paint the picture. Meghan was staring at him with slightly narrowed eyes “The dog kills the owner. Some people don’t care about it, other people think the owner had it coming and they want to save the animal, and the third group wants the dog to be sacrificed”_   
_“Some species are more violent than others” she answered._   
_“So you think that he chose the wrong dog?”_   
_“I didn’t say that” Meghan stared at her hands “Maybe the owner was violent with the dog. Perhaps the poor animal was defending himself”_   
_“You think he had it coming?”_   
_“Maybe the dog was sick or injured. Maybe the owner accidently did something that caused him further pain, like touching the wound”_   
_“You still think he had it coming?”_   
_“It could have been an accident” she said, looking up._   
_“And if it wasn’t?”_   
_“Whether if it was or not an accident it’s not important, the dog already killed someone, so it could kill again. A child, maybe, or an older person”_   
_“So, now you want the dog sacrificed?”_   
_“I didn’t say that” she sighed “The dog can’t talk. He or she can’t appeal for itself, and without a vet we can’t be certain that was that caused the attack was some sort of perked wound or rabies, to name a few examples”_   
_“And those who don’t care?”_   
_Meghan shrugged._   
_“It wasn’t their dog. And the man wasn’t related to them. Why would they care?”_   
_Luke wrote everything down. He looked over his notes and made a final question:_   
_“Whom do you think is right? And who is wrong?”_   
_“Nobody’s right or wrong”_   
_Luke stared at her before writing something down, Meghan waited patiently._   
_Natasha worried for her personality, and the people who would love to take advantage of that._

 

* * *

 

_On a rainy day, doctor Richards came in to take samples._   
_Natasha was sitting by the window reading Tolstoy, and Tony had left a few hours earlier for a meeting._   
_Meghan didn’t talk too much with her father, but she allowed his company as long as he stayed at arms length and the russian assassin was in the room._   
_With the exception of Luke, Meghan refused to see anyone without Natasha in the room._   
_She also talked a little to Pepper, and smiled at Rhodey’s bad jokes; but she didn’t talked with doctors and nurses. She would only nod, shake her head or shrug._   
_Doctor Richards told her what was on the news (it was the only way Meghan would be distracted enough to let them run a test without freaking out) and asked her to open her mouth._   
_She abided._   
_He placed a swab on her mouth and took a sample of saliva._   
_Meghan tensed.._   
_The man took a sample of blood and the teenage frowned._   
_Natasha forgot about her book and felt her muscles tensing, ready to jump._   
_Just as the doctor was preparing to leave, Meghan spoke to him for the first time:_   
_“What do you need those samples for?”_   
_He looked at her, unable to hide his shock. After he recovered, he replied:_   
_“Nothing you should worry about, Ana”_   
_“Meghan”_   
_“Meghan. Just to double check” he wore a charming smile that would have made any woman drop to her knees._   
_Meghan narrowed her eyes._   
_Doctor Richards felt uncomfortable. The girl’s eyes were pretty, and they gave away a look of intelligence, but they were dead._   
_“No, you don’t. You’re running a DNA and pregnancy test”_   
_Natasha fought back a smirk, and the doctor had no option but to agree with the teenager._   
_“Then, why do you ask?”_   
_Meghan shrugged and looked at her broken nails with fake interest._   
_“I wanted to know if you would lie to me. Just like you lie to your wife about the affair with nurse Smith”_   
_The doctor’s eyes widened, and Natasha choked with her water._   
_“Wha...How…”_   
_Meghan sighed, as if it were annoying for her to explain, as if he were a silly child._   
_“You have a ring (which is too clean, by the way), but miss Smith doesn’t. You smell like her, I know because she came in a few hours ago to check everything was normal. She also had swollen lips and a hickey, and by the state of her pants I would say she’s spending a lot of time on her knees. Cleaning, I assume.”_   
_Doctor Richards wasn’t able to pick up his dignity on the way out._   
_“How did you know?” asked Natasha, clearly amused._   
_“You just have to take a look. Although, it was a lucky guess; nurse Smith and nurse Gomez wear the same perfume, and Gomez had a hickey two days ago. It was better hidden, though.”_   
_Natasha had also noticed all that, it was part of her job after all, to evaluate possible threats. Still, she hadn’t expected for Meghan to be that observative, nor to dare to talk to the doctors._   
_“Maybe he’s fooling around with both of them” she pointed out, knowing that it wasn’t the case._   
_Apparently, Meghan did too._   
_“No. I think Gomez is into chicks. She’s always staring at you”_   
_The conversation stopped after that._   
_Meghan was too engulfed on her playstation game, and Natasha was busy with her book._   
_Twenty minutes passed before she heard the brunette’s voice again._   
_“ ‘Cause I don’t like having sticks in my mouth”_   
_Natasha looked up in confusion, but Meghan wasn’t looking at her._   
_The girl’s eyes were moving around the room, as if she were looking for something, or someone._   
_“But I don’t want to school him”_   
_Another few seconds passed._   
_“Because he’s not so bad” Meghan’s eyes settled on Natasha, and she smiled as if the redhead had been the other participant in the conversation. “He’s just stupid and insecure”_   
_Slowly, Natasha nodded._   
_“You’re totally right”_   
_Meghan’s smiled at her response and went back to killing Borgia guards as if nothing had happened._   
_She didn’t do it very often, and as time passed by, she did it with less frequency, until one day, it stopped._   
_Nevertheless, Natasha kept her eyes open._

* * *

 

“Sorry” Said Meghan, opening her door “I’m just tired”  
Natasha didn’t push it, following close behind.  
Thankfully, the rest of the day went by without any kind of excitement.  
Meghan smiled and was kind with the few classmates who dared to talk to her. She didn’t take any notes and drank two mugs of black coffee before lunch was over.  
But Natasha couldn’t shake the feeling in her gut telling her that something terrible was coming.

 

* * *

 

“Wake up, lazy ass” Natasha threw a glass of water on Meghan’s face.  
The girl groaned, closing her eyes even further.  
“What the hell, Nat?”  
The redhead walked out of the room.  
“Get up. You’re late”  
Meghan turned the watch on her wrist and saw the hour.  
9:15.  
“Oh, shit!”  
She rolled out of bed.  
She got up and took a step forward, but the purple sheets tangled around her legs, which caused her to fall face first to the ground.  
“Ow!”  
Ignoring the pain and the small amount of blood on her nose, she took a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt from the ground, and, without caring that said items hadn’t been washed, she put them on while getting up.  
She grabbed her boots and bag, sprinting out of the room and into the kitchen.  
Natasha waited patiently against the counter, taking small sips from her coffee.  
The ginger smirked.  
Meghan rolled her eyes.  
“Again?” the brunette asked, dropping her things and going to the bathroom.  
“You always fall for that”  
Natasha liked changing the hours of all the clocks in the apartment to get Meghan up fast, and her friend always bought the trick.  
“Joke’s on you” Meghan said through the closed door “I was the one who put a laxative on your coffee last week”  
She got herself into the shower.  
“I KNEW IT!”

 

* * *

 

“Do I have to go?” Meghan asked through the phone.  
The nineteen year old opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.  
“It’s just for one night” her father answered “I would go myself, but there’s a lot to do here”  
Natasha walked past her on her way to the bathroom, and they shared a nasty look.  
“But there’s only old people there. They’re like,…forty or something”  
She knew forty wasn’t old, but she enjoyed teasing her father with his age.  
“Hey! That’s not true. Forty is the new twenty one”  
She smiled while biting an apple. She could almost see her father stopping in front of a mirror to check for grey hairs and wrinkles.  
“Besides, we have closed many deals with Wayne Enterprises; you could keep doing it once you take over Stark Industries. Get to know Bruce Wayne. He already makes sure you’re fine in that hellhole of a city”.  
He had a point there. Bruce Wayne was a friend of her father, and he visited Meghan every week to make sure she was safe and to check if she needed anything.  
She wasn’t too thrilled by the idea of taking over Stark Industries, but someone had to do it.  
“He already knows me” she pointed out.  
“Personally; it’s not the same”  
“How so?” she asked, not really caring about the answer.  
She heard Tony sighing on the other end of the line and smiled.  
“Just ‘cause you call him uncle and he doesn’t strangle you for it doesn’t mean he’s gonna be the same regarding his business”  
Meghan didn’t answer for a few seconds. She walked up to the fridge and grabbed the jar with orange juice.  
“Well?!”  
So impatient.  
“Ok. I’ll go for an hour, I’ll talk to Bruce and I’ll leave”  
She poured some juice on a glass and drank the delicious liquid. Grabbing her bag, she placed it over her shoulder.  
“Deal.”  
Meghan sighed. She was about to take her car keys when Natasha beat her to it.  
“Say ‘Hi’ to Pepper for me”  
“I will. Tell Romanoff ‘sorry about the coffee’ ”  
Meghan laughed, following her friend out of the door.  
“I will. Love you”  
“Love you too, sweetie”  
She hung up and placed her phone in her pocket.  
Grabbing a rubber band out of her other pocket, she put her hair up into a messy bun.  
“Nat!” she ran down the corridor and into the elevator, catching up to her friend. “Do you love me?”  
The Russian body-guard sighed while the doors closed.  
“What do you want?”  
Oh, She knows me so well.  
Meghan smiled sweetly.  
“We’re going to a party on Friday”  
Natasha groaned but agreed. The remaining of the ride was spent in silence.  
The redhead studied the younger woman. She seemed fine.  
Good thing she knew ‘seem’ and ‘be’ were different.

 

* * *

 

They arrived to their first class just in time.  
Natasha sat next to her, pretending to be taking notes, while in reality she was drawing a monkey dressed as a wizard.... with a big mustache.  
The economy teacher kept on talking, but Meghan didn’t take any notes. She didn’t need it. She only wrote when the teacher did; but other than that, she could remember almost every single lesson she had heard.  
She observed Natasha’s piece of art. The older woman finished the monkey and signed her name on the bottom corner of the paper.  
Meghan wondered what it would be like if Natasha wasn’t there. She would probably fail at most of her classes. Not because she had any kind of difficulty learning, but because she didn’t care about that career, and if Meghan didn’t care, she didn’t try.  
She loved learning. That was no secret. From astronomy to music, she was good at everything. She liked to paint, and to play music, she was pretty decent with literature. She could create a small bomb out of almost anything, recite the names of the kings and queens of Denmark in chronological order and name all the known constellations. She was also quick with languages. She didn’t choose a career in either of the previous categories because of her father.  
Tony was a sarcastic jerk most of the time, but he was a loving parent. He would never force Meghan to do something she didn’t like, but being the only child of the former playboy, it was pretty obvious who was going to inherit the empire her grandfather had built. She refused to be clueless when she took charge. That was the way you got swindled.  
She was thankful for Natasha’s presence. It helped her to get her through everything without collapsing.  
Natasha Romanoff was twenty eight years old, and she was from Russia (or so they believed). She had saved her father from a terrorist when Meghan was thirteen. Natasha had a price on her head, and trying to pay her back, Tony had helped her, bringing her to America, changing her name and deleting all information of the assassin.  
The redhead was hired by Tony himself to help Happy with the security of Stark industries, but she was promoted shortly after that to a more important task: keep Tony’s daughter safe.

 

* * *

 

_Amanda Parker had been Tony Stark and James Rhodes best friend. The trio was inseparable, and they did everything together._   
_They were twenty, in college and drunk at a party. James (who was on leave for a few days) had disappeared with a girl, and after a while, Amanda left with Tony._   
_The days that followed that party were pretty awkward for the trio. James didn’t know what was going on, and one day, Amanda didn’t show up at chemistry class._   
_She had never missed a class in her life, and concerned, Tony and James went to her room._   
_Lily, Amanda’s roommate, said that the ginger was gone when she woke up._   
_She didn’t even leave a note._

 

* * *

 

_Amanda fled to a little town in Wyoming, and a few months later had a daughter, whom she named Meghan._  
 _Even though Amanda was incredibly smart, she didn’t have a college degree, and therefore, she never got a good job._  
 _Meghan had never been a normal child. She had a clever glint in her look that the others five-year-old lacked, she didn’t use many words, nor did she have any friend. She spent most of her free time reading under a tree._  
 _One of her teachers had tried to talk to her once. Meghan was leaning against an oak tree with her nose buried in a book. The woman had asked why Meghan didn’t want to play with the other children, receiving as an answer a simple shrug. When the teacher asked the child what she was reading Meghan answered that it was “MacBeth” in modern swedish._  
 _“I didn’t know you could speak swedish” smiled the teacher, while her eyes observed the foreign sequence of words and phrases._  
 _“I can’t do it very well. I only started to learn one week and two days ago” answered Meghan without looking up._  
 _The woman raised her eyebrows._  
 _“Well, of course. It takes time, even with the best of teachers”_  
 _Upon hearing that, the child looked up in confusion._  
 _“Why would I need a teacher? I can do it very well by myself.”_  
 _The woman couldn’t hide her surprise._  
 _It turned out that Meghan was, indeed, teaching herself (and succeeding) a foreign language. She talked to the principal about her, trying to convince the man that the Parker girl should be in a more advance course, but Amanda had refused, saying that her Meghan was too sensitive to bear that kind of environment._  
 _Meghan didn’t really care, she just wanted to learn swedish._  
 _Meghan remembered that they didn’t have much while growing up. They barely made it to the end of the month with the help of the neighbor, Miss Figgs. Even so, Meghan was a happy kid._  
 _She loved her mother, and wished to be like her. She wanted to have her beautiful red hair, her pretty smile, her kind heart and her brains._  
 _Meghan spent her afternoons with Miss Figgs and her cats. Miss Figgs never got married, and Meghan didn’t understood why, for Miss Figgs was a sweet person, and she made the best cookies in the world._  
 _Who wouldn’t want to marry someone who made such good cookies?_  
 _Meghan and Amanda were devastated when Miss Figgs died. Meghan was seven, and before she passed away, she had given the child her camera. An old polaroid that Meghan had treasured like it was unique._  
 _Things got better when Meghan turned eight, and her mother came home with a man named Charles._  
 _Charles wasn’t the best looking guy, but he was kind to her mother, and he made Meghan laugh. She was even happier, because now she had a dad, just like the rest of the kids at school._  
 _Charles façade only lasted a few months._  
 _One day, he came from work drunk. Amanda told Meghan to go to her bedroom and to lock the door._  
 _That night hell broke loose._  
 _Turned out that Charles’s nature wasn’t kind at all._  
 _Meghan saw the life leave her mother’s eyes, but she kept moving, and talking, and eating._  
 _Years passed, and Amanda kept on taking the beatings for her daughter and herself._  
 _Even though Meghan had never been a normal kid, the abusive atmosphere around her made her more reclused._  
Teach him a lesson.  
 _She looked up from her copy of ‘The Double,...How does it work?”, but nobody was there._  
 _Her bedroom door was locked, and nothing could shut out Amanda’s cries and Charles’s yelling._  
You will see me in the mirror.  
 _Meghan marked the page she was reading and got up, walking towards the old full length mirror, but the only person on the other side was her._  
You see?  
 _“It’s just me” she said, touching her pale cheek. Charles didn’t allow her to go out, which meant that she spent most of her time locked up, away from the sun and its benefits._  
Exactly.  
 _“I don’t want to teach him a lesson” she said, looking around the room, still looking for the voice._  
You’re a bad liar.  
 _“I can’t” she corrected herself._  
“Why not?”  
 _Meghan made a face, indicating her discomfort._  
 _“He’s twice my size, and much stronger than me. It would only be worse for mom”_  
 _The voice didn’t answer._  
 _Meghan looked around her room once more. When she didn’t got an answer, she resumed her reading._  
 _A few minutes passed, in which Amanda’s and Charles’s voices slowly disappeared._  
Then grow stronger than him.

* * *

 

_One day, Charles arrived before Amanda._   
_Meghan was almost fourteen. She was sitting on the couch in silence (she was always silence lately) doing her history homework._   
_He lunged against her, grabbing her by her brown locks and threw her to the ground._   
_Meghan screamed in pain when she fell on her arm._   
_She had heard her mother taking beatings plenty of times, but she had never heard her scream._   
_She wished to be that strong._   
_A fist connected with her sweet, childlike face, and a foot stepped on her hand._   
_Charles kept on punching and kicking her, and she kept screaming, tears rolling down her face onto the ground._   
_She didn’t know how long it was, but suddenly, she heard her mother standing up to him for the first time._   
_“LEAVE HER ALONE”_   
_Amanda tried to push Charles away from her daughter. Her face red and her eyes full with tears of anger._   
_“Meghan, go to your room”_   
_Meghan should have stayed, she knew that._   
_Like a coward, the thirteen year old got up with difficulty and went to her room as fast as her skinny, weak legs allowed._   
_She closed the door and falled to the ground._   
_She heard struggling on the other side of the door._   
_“SHE’S A KID! YOU DISGUSTING COWARD!”_   
_And everything went black._

* * *

 

_A few days passed, and Amanda checked her daughter’s injuries everyday, trying to decide if she was healthy enough or not._   
_After two weeks, Meghan’s arm almost didn’t hurt, and Amanda recovered some of the light on her eyes._   
_She grabbed a pink backpack and carefully, she placed it on Meghan’s shoulder._   
_“I put a change of clothes, some water, food, and money there” she told her daughter, kneeling in front of her._   
_Charles wouldn’t be in the house for another three hours, which gave Meghan enough advantage to get away._   
_“How did you get money?” Meghan asked._   
_Charles always took Amanda’s check to make sure she wouldn’t escape._   
_“Here” Amanda placed a train ticket on her daughter’s hand “Take a taxi to the station and board the train. You will arrive in Washington DC. Don’t be scared if you feel like you never arrive, the trip lasts over twenty hours”_   
_Meghan was starting to get scared._   
_“Why do I have to go?”_   
_Amanda didn’t seem to hear._   
_“There’s a little bag with cash and an address on the backpack. Once you arrive take a taxi and give the driver the address. Once you arrive ask for Colonel James Rhodes.”_   
_“Why can’t you come with me?”_   
_“MEGHAN!” Amanda shake her by the shoulders. “Pay attention. Colonel…_   
_“James Rhodes”._   
_Her mother nodded._   
_“Tell him that Amanda Parker is your mother”._   
_Meghan felt the tears threatening to fall._   
_Amanda got up, and the door opened._   
_They both froze on their spots._   
_Charles narrowed his cruel eyes._   
_“What do you have there, Meggy girl?” he asked with slurred voice, pointing to the backpack with an empty bottle._   
_They were terrified._   
_Amanda told Meghan to run, but she didn’t make it._   
_Until the day she died, Meghan would punish herself thinking about it._   
_‘I shouldn’t have gone for the door. I should have gone to my bedroom and escaped through the window.’ she would think, holding back tears._   
_Amanda Parker died that night._   
_Charles slammed her head against the kitchen counter, and Amanda fell. She didn’t move. Blood started to mix with her hair like they were one, and a few minutes later, she was gone._   
_Meghan had hoped that the police would help her, but they were friends with her stepfather. They took Amanda’s body and made the blind eye to the girl on the ground._   
_With Amanda gone, Charles turned Meghan into his new punching bag and sex toy._   
_She still had nightmares from time to time._

* * *

 

_The day she turned fifteen, she was saved._   
_She crawled, trying to get away from Charles, even if she knew she was going to lose._   
_She closed her eyes..._

 

* * *

 

“Meg? You ok?”  
She looked up. Natasha was standing in front of her seat with a concerned look on her face.  
Meghan looked around. They were the only ones in the classroom.  
“Did I space out?”  
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t that bad this time”  
Meghan chose not to make a comment on that.  
She gathered her things and got up.  
“Sorry. I was thinking about the cheeseburger I’m gonna have for lunch”  
Natasha raised an eyebrow, but didn’t push it.

 

* * *

 

Meghan snorted and rolled her eyes. She was struggling not to punch her statistics teacher. Mr. Junk was a fat, bald, fifty some years old, who had the bad habit of staring at the cleavage of all the female population of Gotham College.  
In that moment, Mr. Junk was two rows ahead of her, one of his grassy hands on the shoulder of one of the girls, not paying attention to her question.  
Marie stared at the hand on her shoulder, and her disgust couldn’t be hidden fast enough. She set her eyes on the book in front of her, pointing at something.  
Meghan clenched her jaw. Marie Callahan was a sweet, naïve girl. She was shy and polite. Too polite to dare to tell Mr. Junk where he could shove that hand.  
Meghan started counting.  
1  
2  
3  
“Last thing I want is the only person whom I actually like locked up on Arkham” Natasha had bend over her seat to whisper on her best friend ear.  
Meghan shot daggers through her eyes.  
4  
5  
She closed her eyes and took a breath.  
6  
‘You can’t draw attention upon yourself’, her father had said to her before she left New York.  
7  
8  
Meghan had had the brilliant idea of studying business on the most dangerous city of the country.  
9  
Gotham College offered a great education, but it’s location was the heart of America’s corruption.  
Meghan was Tony’s only child. Her father owned Stark Industries, the most important technology company in the world. She had been on the news and magazines a couple of times, in some event alongside her father or,…some compromising situations.  
“It was worth it” Meghan though “It was Steve’s bachelor party, and that old goody two shoes had the time of his life”  
It had been extremely difficult to convince Tony that Gotham City was a good choice, but in the end he accepted, as long as Meghan used her mother last name, kept a low profile and didn’t…  
¡BOOM!  
Yup, that wasn’t happening.  
The students jumped and yelped, taken by surprise at the sound of an explosion, and a dark stain started to extend on Mr. Junk pants. In another occasion, Meghan would have taken a hundred photos from different angles and made an album, but the maniac laugh that followed the explosion made her blood go cold.  
Natasha was on her feet in one second, and grabbing Meghan's hand, she yanked her.  
They went down the steps, and right before Natasha opened the door they heard him:  
“Oh, Meghan! Where are you, sweetheart?”  
Meghan’s breath got caught on her throat. The entire class was looking at her. Nobody talked. Nobody moved.  
The person on the corridor laughed again, and a shadow appeared around the corner.  
Natasha turned and went for the window.  
“Don’t you hide from me, princess. I won’t hurt you”  
The Russian woman took a gun out of the waistband of her jeans and pointed to the door.  
Meghan opened the window (she didn’t need Natasha to tell her what to do) and looked down. There were two guys in a black uniform who clearly didn’t belong to the campus staff.  
“Nat?”  
The ginger looked down and frowned.  
“Stay here” was the only thing she said before jumping out.  
Meghan looked at the door.  
“Do you like playing Hide and Seek?” the shadow was right in front of the door.  
The latch on the door twisted, and Meghan’s brown eyes went wide.  
She closed her eyes and sighed.  
“Damn it.”  
She sat at the window and jumped, just as the door was opened.  
“SHE’S THERE. SHE’S ESCAPING” one of her classmates yelled.  
That fucker... Meghan though, landing on her feet like a cat.  
She smiled, proud of herself.  
“I’m awesome” she told Natasha.  
Her friend took her hand again, throwing her her bag.  
“I carry you, you carry your shit”  
The guys Meghan had seen through the window were lying unconscious on the floor.  
She walked past them next to Natasha.  
“Do you know who they are?” she asked.  
Natasha looked at her briefly.  
“No. But don’t be scared, I’ll get you out of here”  
“I’m not scared” she lied.  
They entered the science building without being noticed.  
“Well, this building is close to the parking lot. Stay here”  
Natasha started to run down the corridor before Meghan had the chance to reply. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.  
Meghan adjusted the bag on her shoulder and looked around, unsure of what to do.  
All the classrooms were locked, and they wouldn’t open the doors until the police arrived. The bathrooms and broom closet were on the second floor, and Meghan wasn’t about to go and get killed.  
She started to hum a song while making the rhythm with her hands against her legs.  
“ _Don’t need reason,_  
 _Don’t need rhyme._  
 _Ain’t nothin’ that I’d rather do_  
 _Goin’ down, party time_  
 _My friends are gonna be there too_  
 _I’m on the highway to hell._  
 _Dam, dam._  
 _Highway to hell_  
 _Tum, tum._  
 _I’m on the Hig…_ GAH!”  
After that, she went mute.  
The voice that had joined her in the song laughed.  
It was behind her, but Meghan didn’t dare to turn around.  
She heard slow clapping.  
“You got a cute voice”  
It was a woman.  
Meghan heard heels clicking against the floor, indicating that the woman was closer.  
Slowly, she walked around Meghan until they were standing face to face.  
“Keep goin’ ” she said, with a pronounced New York accent “I was enjoying it”  
Meghan stared at her.  
She had blue eyes. Gorgeous. Insanity shone brightly on them, but they were still beautiful, like the rest of her. Her blond hair was held up in two pigtails, and the ends were dyed pink and blue. She was pale like a ghost, and two tattoos adorned her pretty face. Her red lips were smiling down at her. Her body was as perfect (in Meghan’s humble opinion), if perfection was even possible. She was toned like an athlete. Her white t-shirt was ripped off, and it had an inscription “Daddy’s little monster”. She was wearing red and blue panties (which in another occasion would have made Meghan drool), and black and white heels.  
Meghan looked up again. The women had noticed her checking her out.  
She smirked.  
“Why you all alone?” she asked with an overly sweet voice, pouting and taking a few steps forward. She took Meghan’s shirt and drew her closer “Haven’t you heard? There’s a psycho on the loose”  
She laughed.  
Meghan kept staring. Everything in that women screamed ‘Danger’.  
“Um,..well, yeah.”  
Right, Meg. Just brilliant.  
“I was,…hunting” she finally was able to form a complete sentence.  
“Hunting?” that made the women eyes shine “What were you hunting?”  
“Um,…Pokemons”  
The women laughed. She sounded like a maniac.  
She probably is one.  
She smiled and offered her hand.  
“Harley Quinn. Nice to meet ya’ ”  
Meghan hesitated for a second before taking her hand.  
“Anna Parker” she said.  
Technically, she wasn’t lying.  
She noticed that Harley had a few calluses.  
Dropping her hand, she looked around.  
“And what do you study here, A?” Harley asked.  
“Boring stuff” Meghan tried not to give it importance.  
Harley raised a perfect eyebrow.  
“It seems like it’s gonna rain tonight” she commented quickly, trying to think of a way to escape without giving away too much information.  
Harley’s eyes widened.  
“Oh! You’re from New York” she said, noticing Meghan’s accent for the first time.  
Meghan nodded. She didn’t really want to talk about...anything.  
“I’m from Brooklyn. You?”  
“Manhattan”  
The blond smirked.  
“Rich girl, he? Are you snobby?”  
“I’m not rich” Meghan shrugged.  
But my dad’s a billionaire.  
“Neither I” Harley said, placing her baseball bat between her shoulder blades. “Where’s your puddin’?  
“Sorry. My what?” Meghan tilted her head to the side, confused by the question and Harley’s sudden change of subject.  
“Your puddin’ “she repeated, as if everybody should know what she meant by that.  
“Um,…I don’t have pudding, sorry”  
“Sorry about those idiots, they don’t know what they’re missing” Harley said, looking her up and down. The blond all but licked her lips.  
What does an idiot have to do with a pudding?  
They remained silent for a few seconds.  
Meghan wanted to run, but that would be suspicious, and considering Harley’s physical state, she wouldn’t make it far.  
Meghan looked up and saw Harley watching something to her left, but when Meghan gave a little peek, she didn’t saw anything  
The brunette looked at her feet, unsure of how to proceed.  
“Um…miss Quinn?”  
Harley looked at her out of the corner of her eye.  
“Hmm?”  
“I,…um,…I’m not feeling very well. Cramps. Yeah, and I really need a bathroom and my special blanket”  
Harley tilted her head, staring at her with narrowed eyes while balancing on her feet. Her blue eyes darkened, and in that moment, Meghan feared for her life.  
“Sure” she said, smiling.  
Harley stepped aside, and trying not to hesitate, Meghan took a few steps forward.  
She walked past Harley, and the blond bent over, placing a crimson kiss on her check.  
Meghan froze. Harley laughed.  
“Feel better soon” she said.  
“Thanks.”  
Taking a deep breath, she kept walking.  
Just as she was around the corner, she heard Harley say:  
“It was nice to meet ya’, Meghan Stark.”  
She laughed. Again.  
“You too, Harley Quinn.”  
She started to run down the corridor while whipping the red mark on her cheek, until she almost bumped into Natasha.  
“I was on my way to get you. The car’s ready” the ginger observed her as she looked behind her with a terrified expression “Hey. What happened?”  
Meghan stared at her for a few seconds.  
“Nothing. I just want to leave”  
Natasha rushed out of the door and into the car, which waited for them a few feet away.

 

* * *

 

Joker was angry. They couldn’t find Stark’s daughter.  
“She has fled the campus, sir. Two of my men were killed and a woman gave us some troubles. However, I’m sure I can find her in no time if you…  
He took his gun and shoot the guy between the eyes.  
He sighed.  
“Oh!. How I hate excuses”  
“Puddin’ “  
Joker turned around, seeing Harley walking up to him in a seductive way, her bat over her right shoulder.  
“Well? Did you find her?”  
Harley shook her head, looking down in shame.  
“I’m sorry puddin’, I didn’t find the girl.”  
Joker let out a yell of anger and smacked her across the cheek, which caused her to fall to the ground.  
“You’re as useless as the rest of them” he sneered.  
Harley got up and walked up to him at a fast pace, encircling him in her arms.  
“Please, Mistah J. I can find her”  
She wanted to make it up to her puddin’ more than anything.  
“You better do”

 

* * *

 

The apartment door opened, and Bruce Wayne rushed inside.  
Meghan was sitting near the window, thinking about the crazy maniac she had met that day.  
Why the pretty ones are so crazy?  
She tore her eyes away from the view of Gotham city being hit by the rain, and smiled at her father’s friend.  
“Are you alright? ” Bruce asked, restraining himself of hugging her.  
Meghan stood, still wrapped in her blanket, and walked to him. She did hug him.  
“I’m fine, uncle B”  
He wasn’t her uncle, but she had known him for a couple of years, and he practically took care of her since she moved to that corrupted city.  
“And your friend?”  
Natasha came out of her bedroom.  
“The friend has a name”  
Bruce rolled his eyes.  
“Did you packed everything?” he asked.  
Natasha shook her head.  
“That one has so many useless things she’ll want to take with her, we’ll be finished by the next decade”  
Meghan looked between the pair.  
“Wait! Were we goin’?”  
Bruce looked down at her.  
“The Joker already knows where you study. He may know you live here”  
Natasha took a suitcase and placed it at the door.  
“The douchebag had a good idea for once.” She came to a stop next to Meghan “We’re moving to the Wayne manor”.  
Meghan opened her mouth and closed it a couple times.  
“What’s the Joker? A circus?”  
Natasha and Bruce shared a look.  
“You serious, Meg?” the Russian assassin asked.  
“The Joker is the most dangerous criminal in this city” Bruce answered. “And it seems like he’s after you”.  
Meghan sat on the couch heavily.  
“What kind of name is Joker?. Especially for a criminal.”  
Natasha rolled her eyes. Bruce sighed.  
“He’s not to be taken lightly, Meghan” the older man said.  
“Fine. Sorry.” She rose her hands in surrender.  
“Tonight there will be guards on the door and around the building” Bruce told Natasha.  
“Joker” Meghan muttered under her breath, still not believing it.  
She was ignored.  
“The both of you are moving in tomorrow”  
Natasha nodded.  
“Hang on.” Meghan stood again “The guards around the building are a bad idea”  
Bruce and Natasha blinked, staring at her.  
“Duh” Meghan though it was pretty obvious “If that dude is looking for me, and by the way I didn’t do anything to him, seeing a bunch of not-friendly gorillas outside of the building is gonna be suspicious”  
They kept staring at her.  
“I can’t believe it. She’s right” Bruce turned to Natasha.  
“HEY!”  
“Fine” said the redhead “One guard on the door. I am more than capable of protecting her without your help, Wayne”  
Bruce gave her a hard look.  
“I don’t trust criminals” he spat, before storming out of the apartment.  
Meghan chose to not make a comment.  
Natasha’s eyes burned holes on the closed door.  
“Why is he after me?” she asked.  
Natasha turned towards her and frowned.  
“I’m not sure. Now pack your things. We’re moving with El douchebag tomorrow.”  
Meghan didn’t want to move out of the comfy apartment, especially not into a big, cold mansion; but she didn’t want to argue either.  
She went to her bedroom.  
“And we’re skipping class for the rest of the week” Natasha said.  
Meghan’s face lit up.  
“YAY!”

 

* * *

 

She dreamt about Harley Quinn.  
In her dream, the maniac blonde was calling for her.  
Meghan walked through a dark corridor, and at the end, she could distinguish some lights.  
She heard her laugh, and it sent chills down her spine.  
Finally, she arrived into an unknown room.  
There were pink and green lights, and a smoke machine made it difficult to see.  
There was a small stage with a dancing pole.  
Music started to play, and slowly, Harley walked out on the stage.  
The blond gripped the bar and smiled seductively at Meghan.  
Instead of starting a routine, she kept walking down the aisle, her eyes locked on Meghan’s.  
She keened and crawled towards the brunette.  
The girl took a step forward until she was a few millimeters from the stage.  
Harley took her chin with delicacy and smirked. She drew Meghan’s face closer to hers.  
Meghan was amazed by her. Terrified, but amazed.  
“Do you wanna know a secret?” Harley asked, still on her knees, arching her back.  
Meghan nodded.  
The blond lips touched her ear, and her hot breath made Meghan’s heart skip a beat.  
“I will be your death”

 

* * *

 

Meghan woke up startled.  
She looked around and sighed with relief. She was in her room, in the safety of her blankets.  
She checked the time on her wrist.  
4:00.  
It was still dark outside.  
She got up, frowning.  
The window was open.  
She got closer and noticed a package.  
Carefully, she took it.  
Opening it, she gave the content a confusing look.  
“What the hell?”  
Inside laid her phone.  
She took it and unlocked the screen.  
The wallpaper had been changed. Where there was a picture of her and her dad, there was one of Harley Quinn, smiling and winking at the camera, a muffin in one hand.  
There was a note on the package.  
Placing the phone on her bed, she took the piece of paper and unfolded it.  
Looking forward to our next meeting, muffin. Xoxo  
A heart adorned every “I”.  
It wasn’t signed, but that wasn’t necessary to know who it was from.  
She looked herself in the small mirror on the nightstand. She had another mark of a kiss, but this time, it was on her neck.  
I’m so screwed.


	3. That Bloody Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, guys :/. But summer’s coming, so I hope to have more free time. I’m also trying to show a little bit of Meghan’s bonds with other people in her life so you can get to know her better, even though I’m desperate to jump straight into the romance.  
> By the way, there’s this Hozier song called “Better Love”, and there’s a line that reminded me A LOT of Meghan and Harley. It says “I have never loved a darker blue than the darkness I’ve known in you”. What do you think of it?? I’ve also created a spotify playlist for the story, it helps me to write.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chaper! 

“Hey Bruce” Meghan’s head poked around his office door. “You got a minute?”

He looked up from the computer screen and nodded.

“Homework?” he asked.

Meghan stepped inside with a notebook and a pencil in hand.

“Can you check this organization chart? I think I got something wrong”

Bruce took the paper and checked the small rectangles and lines Meghan had composed.

“You just forgot to mark the counseling for the human resources department” he told her, returning the assignment.

“Thanks” she smiled, turning on her heels, ready to go back to her new room.

“Do you want me to check the others?” he asked.

Meghan let go of the door handle and looked at him with kindness.

“Thanks, but no. Nat already checked the others. I think I pissed her off with so many questions”

His eyes darkened.

“The others are wrong”

Meghan eyebrows shot up.

“Sorry?”

He pointed to the fancy looking chair on her side of the desk.

“Sit”.

She did as she was told in silence, not enjoying the dark look on his eyes.

“How do you know that the others are wrong?” Meghan asked.

“Because  _ she _ solved them”

Meghan didn’t like how Bruce pronounced <<She>>, as if Nat were scum. She didn’t say anything though, scratching her neck, she realized she wasn’t sure about how to respond to that.

She supposed that the fact alone that Bruce was letting Nat under his roof was enough, …for now.

“Um, well. I don’t know, uncle B. Nat’s pretty clever; you’d be surprised.”

His cold, indifferent expression didn’t flatter.

“Doubt it”

She gave him the rest of the exercises and looked around the study. Her eyes landed on a painting she had done a year ago. She didn’t know that Bruce had it. It was of a phoenix being consumed by ice, with its wings turning black, and the fire dying around it. She hadn’t liked how that painting had turned out, so Meghan decided that throwing it in the trash would be the perfect idea. The fact that Bruce had taken it out of the trash and kept it in his study warmed her heart.

An irritated sigh took her out of her thoughts. Brown eyes landed on Bruce, who had an angry frown on his face.

“These are right” he muttered.

Meghan almost didn’t catch it.

“What was that?”

He shoot her daggers.

“Mary wants to get married” she started “If she gets married, she’ll get bored. If Mary doesn’t get married, she’ll stress out. If Mary stresses out, she’ll look hideous. Mary will get married only if her therapist says that she’s ready. Mary therapist doesn’t think she’s ready”

Bruce thought about it for a few seconds.

“Mary’s not married. She’s stressed out and she looks hideous”

“Tsk, poor Mary” Meghan shook her head, smirking devilishly “She worries too much. Just like you. <<Mary should marry Bruce>>”.

He rolled his eyes and didn’t smile.

_ Surprise! Surprise! _

“I didn’t know you were taking philosophy”

She shrugged.

“Dad made a few calls”

 

* * *

 

She did her research.

Google could be a bitch sometimes, but it had proven itself quite useful.

Typing “Harley Quinn”, Meghan hesitated before pressing the button, unsure of wanting to see the results.

When she finally did, police reports appeared like a storm.

Meghan read one of the articles; it was from the newspaper, and it informed about a bank robbery, starring Harley and that guy, Joker.

It said that they had taken hostages, and killed a few “ _ just for the fun of it” _ said one of the survivors in an interview.

Meghan wished that was the worst the bolde had done, but it was far from it.

As she read more articles, she began hyperventilating.

This woman was a monster, but that wasn’t what scared Meghan the most.

She wanted to see her again.

 

* * *

 

 

Meghan didn’t mind going shopping from time to time. There were days in which, just like most girls, she just wanted to spoil herself a little bit.

However, what she did hated was going to those fancy stores full of people with tense smiles and poison in their tongues.

“Turn” Natasha ordered.

Meghan rolled her eyes but did as her friend commanded. Through the mirror, she noticed her bodyguard’s face contract in disgust at the hideous black dress.

“I know you like monkeys, but I doubt you enjoy looking like one.”

“Amen” Meghan sighed, kicking the long, fluffy skirt while she marched towards the dressing room, …for the fifteenth time.

The store employee followed her, trying to hide her irritation. The brunette girl had been trying on different dresses and complaining about it for the past hour, and she just wanted to yell at the girl to suck it up and pick a god damn dress.

Meghan struggled with the dress for a few minutes until she finally, finally, wiggled her way out of the mortal and ugly trap.

She tried on another black dress. That one was simple. It flowed straight to her ankles and it didn’t have an impressive collar, but her entire back was exposed.

She went out again, giving the other dress to the blonde woman with the tight smile.

“How about now?” she asked, coming to a halt in front of her friend.

Natasha looked up from her phone and raised an eyebrow.

“You know, out of the sixteen dresses you have tried on, only the first one wasn’t black”.

Meghan crossed her arms.

“Well, I just want something that reflects my soul”

Natasha smiled. Standing up, she walked around the younger girl. Her cold hand brushed against Meghan’s back, and she shuddered.

“I doubt the color ‘Crazy bitch’ exists. Or a combination for it” the ginger muttered, looking at Meghan up and down like a predator.

Meghan stiffed, remembering the woman with the pink and blue pigtails. Those could be the colors for ‘crazy’, and probably for the ‘bitch’ part too.

She hadn’t seen her since their first encounter on Monday, but she did found a muffin on her nightstand the previous day. Of course, she had freaked out for nothing. Turned out that Alfred had left her breakfast in her room while she slept, and Natasha had eaten almost everything just to annoy her, except for the muffin because she never liked them.

“You look good” Natasha muttered, still observing her from every possible angle.

“But…”

“But the red one is better”

Meghan turned around and walked to the dressing room one last time.

“I’ll take the red one” she told the blonde, who sighed in exasperation.

Over one hour just to pick the first option.

* * *

 

“Alfred?” Meghan entered the kitchen hesitantly.

Alfred was putting some meat in the oven.

The tall man straightened up his back and gestured for her to take a few more steps.

“What is it, miss Meghan? If you want another cheeseburger, I am afraid that I’ll have to say no. Dinner will be ready in forty-eight minutes and twenty-one seconds”

Meghan shifted on her feet, waiting for the man to stop talking. She could never bring herself to interrupt someone she respected…unless she was angry or hungry, any of those feelings leading to the other.

“No, that’s ok. I’m not that hungry”

Alfred looked up, extremely surprised. Wearing a pink apron with white flowers over a black suit and glasses, he looked ridiculous, but Meghan couldn’t find it on her to make fun of him that day.

“Well, that’s unusual. Are you feeling ill, miss Meghan?” he closed the distance between them, placing his palm to her forehead, feeling nothing out of the ordinary.

Bruce had made sure that the Wayne manor was a giant oven. Meghan had always been susceptible to the cold, and even inside that big ass manor, while everybody else dressed as if it were summer, she was wearing a sweater and her hands were cold.

“No, I just had a big lunch with Nat today” she lied smoothly.

“That hasn’t stopped you before.” He reproached with a kind smile.

Meghan smiled in return.

“I’m just nervous about my philosophy test next week. I really don’t wanna fail”

Alfred nodded and let her go, walking towards the fridge.

“Ah, yes. Master Bruce mentioned that he was helping you study”

He took out a jug of orange juice and pour it on a glass. After that, he opened a cupboard and took a jar full of cookies.

Meghan’s eyes widened.

“Don’t you even try. I’ll change their location before going to bed”

She smiled. Of course he would.

“I just came here to tell you that there’s no need for you to make muffins anymore”

Alfred turned around so fast (glass and plate in hands) that she almost didn’t see it.

“Why?” he asked suspiciously.

Meghan shrugged.

_ Because I’ve been traumatized by the hottest woman to ever live, … and she’s a psycho. _

“I just don’t like them anymore. I’ve eaten so many that I’m starting to feel disgusted by them. We agreed that we needed a break from each other”.

Alfred made a “Hmp” sound, narrowing his eyes, still suspicious.

_ Don’t look him in the eye. Don’t look him in the eye. Don’t look him in the eye. _

“Very well, then” the butler said.

He set the glass and the plate with cookies on a silver tray and offered it to her.

Meghan smiled with fond sweetness. That was how she had started to trust Alfred a few years back, the very first time she visited the Wayne manor with her dad.

She took the tray and, with one last smile and a sincere “Thank you”, she exited the kitchen, heading towards the library to do some reading.

_ It’s been sometime since I’ve visited Hogwarts. _

__

* * *

 

“And there’s this guy in my marketing class whom I want to kill” Meghan finished her recap of the week.

She turned off the light on the bathroom and closed the door. Walking towards her bed, she sat at the head.

“Really?” her dad sounded uncertain “What for?”

“He keeps saying that Dan Brown’s books are shitty”

“Sorry, who?”

Meghan rolled her eyes.

“He’s just one of the most awesome authors in the world”

“Better than Rowling?”

“That’s not gonna happen. But he is close behind her”

The only answer she got was a low “Mhm”.

Straightening the picture on the nightstand, she asked:

“Are you ok? You sound, … distant”

She heard Tony sigh on the other side of the line. He stayed silent for almost a minute, but Meghan didn’t rush him.

“There’s something I need to tell you”

Frowning, she crossed her legs.

“Is it bad?”

“No! It’s something good, I promise”

“Oh. Ok, then. Shoot”

Tony blurred something so fast that the only thing she understood was ‘Pepper’.

“Sorry, what?”

Tony sighed again and took a deep breath.

“Pepper’s pregnant”

Meghan froze. She should be happy, but for some reason, she felt like her entire world was crashing down.

She forced a smile.

“That’s great dad! I’m so happy for the both of you!”

She prayed that Tony believed her.

“Thanks, sweetie. I’m glad you’re happy about it. And…”

She cut him off.

“Dad, I’m sorry, but Nat’s needs my help.”

Natasha was in her room, at the other side of the mansion, but Meghan couldn’t come up with a better excuse. She just needed to think.

“Oh, all right. We can talk later”

“Sure. I’ll call you”

“Love you”

“Love you too”

She hung up as fast as she could, and then she proceed to stare at the Stark phone in her hand as if it was the bearer of bad news.

She was eighteen, for god’s sake. She shouldn’t be acting like a spoiled five-year-old, but she couldn’t help but think that her dad was going to love Pepper’s child more.

_ I’ve only had him for three years. _

Call her stupid, but she didn’t want to share her dad’s affections, at least not yet.

That night, she didn’t get any sleep; but the good thing was that it kept the crazy blond out of her mind.

* * *

 

 

The next day, dinner was an awkward affair… again; not that Meghan was expecting any difference that evening.

The brunette cut a piece of her meat without looking down.

She chewed the meat and swallowed in silence, all while paying close attention to Bruce and Natasha’s glaring contest.

They didn’t notice when Alfred came in.

The butler took their plates, replacing them with the dessert. It was Smokva; a Russian sweet made of boiled fruits such as apples, quinces, plums and rowanberries.

Meghan had only tasted the dessert once. She had asked Nat if she missed Russia, and the redhead had gotten a little nostalgic (Meghan being the only one to notice it, since she spend so much time with her), resulting in her making a mess in Tony’s kitchen, trying to cook one of her favorite sweets for Meghan, so her best and only friend could have a taste of her country. She hadn’t cooked it again since that day, but Meghan had loved the treat. Another thing to add to the list of “Things Natasha freaking Romanoff can do”. Meghan wasn’t sure how long the list was, she had lost count a long time ago.

Alfred set a plate in front of Bruce (who didn’t even seem to notice the other men in the room) and gave Meghan a nervous look, which she returned.

The butler took his leave, abandoning Meghan to her luck.

She took a couple of bites from the delicious dessert before an idea came to mind.

She reached out subtly, trying to get a hold of Natasha’s glass of wine.

She took the fancy glass without ruining the contest and, slowly, she drew it to her lips.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“Don’t. You. Dare”

Natasha and Bruce spoke at the same time and Meghan froze with the glass on her pink lips.

Nobody moved, they weren’t even looking at her.

She tilted the glass a little and the red liquid caressed her lips.

The redhead and the millionaire finished their little game and turned their glares at her.

Meghan smiled awkwardly and set the glass down.

“Well, at least I got a reaction out of you. All the sexual tension was getting too uncomfortable”

“There’s no sexual tension” they spoke at the same time again.

Meghan looked down and raised her eyebrows. She took her water glass and took a small sip to hide her smile.

“Still a better love story than Twilight” she muttered.

Natasha almost smiled fondly at her dessert.

* * *

 

 

_ Dear Diary: _

_ I really need a new way to start writing. Everybody’s uses the “dear diary” shit, and you know I don’t like doing the same thing as most of the worldwide population. _

_ I can’t believe I’m about to say this…but I’m bored. I already did my homework and no having to go to class for a week is supposed to be a blast! _

_ I must have eaten something rotten. _

_ I haven’t seen that woman Harley since Monday, and I haven’t had dreams about her either…I’m still not sure how I feel about those two things. _

_ She did scare the food out of me, but…it was nice. I don’t know how to explain it,  _ **_I_ ** _ don’t understand it, but for some reason, I wish to see her again. _

_ Then I remember that she’s a crazy psycho and that wish goes away. _

_ She does have great hair though. _

_ …And I can confide to you that she’s very nice to look at. Very, very nice, …like you have no idea how… _

“You know, only ten-year-old writes on diaries”

Meghan jumped on her seat at the end of the bed and yelped.

She closed her diary and placed it against her chest, as if she were trying to protect it.

“You should be thrilled I remember how to write. Today’s ten-year-old are too busy with their phones to learn how to do it. Besides, how could you know if it’s a diary? It could be an original story. You could be staring at the next John Boyne, …pretty female version”

Natasha closed the door and leaned against the desk in Meghan’s room.

“Because I have read it”

“What? When? Why? How much?”

Her heart started to race. There were some things there, …things she didn’t want anyone to read, not even Nat or Tony. Dark things that ashamed her.

“Calm down. I only read the very first ‘Dear Diary, today...’ before getting bored and dropping it”

Meghan chose to believe her, for her mind’s peace.

“What were you writing about? How many cheeseburgers you had this past week?” the Russian woman smirked, arching a perfect eyebrow.

“Actually, I was writing about how you and Bruce are naming your firstborn after my beautiful person” Meghan smiled brightly, trying to divert the conversation subject away from her diary’s content.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

“You’re high… or hallucinating”

“Doesn’t one leads to the other?”

“Most of the time”

“How do you know?”

“Are you interrogating me, Stark?” Natasha inquired, slightly amused.

“…Perhaps. Am I getting somewhere?”

Natasha’s amused eyes were enough answer.

“Right. Well, I kind of have things to do, so if you could just leave, it would be great”.

The redhead stood firm.

“Really? Like what?”

Meghan looked around the room. She couldn’t just tell her best friend AND bodyguard that she wanted to be alone to think about the psycho she had met the other day. If Natasha knew, she would tell her father, and if her dad knew, Harley Quinn wouldn’t be able to come near Meghan ever again.

That was the wise choice, Meghan knew it.

But then, why couldn’t she tell Nat the truth? Why didn’t she want to?

Meghan thought about Harley on that outfit that barely covered enough skin and her cheeks turned red.

“Well, ...” she started, willing to say anything just to make Nat leave for a while “I won’t masturbate with you standing there”

Natasha’s eyes widened, and in the blink of an eye, the other woman had left, her face as red as her hair.

_ Well, that’s a first. _

* * *

 

Meghan was walking around the corridor on the fourth floor of the manor.

Well, she wasn’t really walking, more like waltzing alone with a maniac expression on her face.

Alfred walked around the corner like a normal human being and stopped for a moment. Shaking his head upon seeing the girl’s behavior, he intended on keep minding his own business.

Meghan spun around with unexpected elegance and her eyes and smile widened upon landing on her victim.

“Oh! Alfred, dear. What is the matter with thee? Why the long face?” her fake British accent was quite convincing.

He kept walking, but Meghan was on his way, dancing around him.

“There is nothing out of the ordinary, miss Meghan” he answered with his deep, soothing voice “It is just another normal day, and if you will excuse me, miss, I have chores to attend”

“Uuh! So that is the problem, my dear wrinkled friend” she stopped dead in front of him, the crazy smile persistent on her face and her pupils dilated “This repetitive routine that hunts you has finally become too dull. You need some excitement in your life, …keep the blood running. I know someone who would give you a discount”

Alfred looked perplexed.

“Discount? What for?”

Meghan giggled and her eyes dropped down.

“I would do it myself, after all the help and food you have provided me with, but you’re not my type”.

_ No kidding. _

Meghan frowned, looking around but seeing no one besides Alfred

The butler’s eyes almost exploded.

“Miss Meghan! What a scandal! You’re a lady, for god’s sake. And I do not wish for the assistance of any of your…promiscuous friends” he started speaking with a loud voice, but continued to lower it a bit and speed up the words towards the end while shaking his head, clearly exasperated.

Meghan nodded in understatement.

“Oh! I see. You rather do it yourself. You do it alone or do you need some, …virtual help? Which website do you prefer?”

_ Just shut up. _

He looked at her as if she were crazy.

“I am too old for things of that sort, miss Meghan, and whatever I do on my free time is none of your concern.”

Meghan giggled again, and sniffing the air Alfred narrowed his eyes.

“Have you been smoking something?”

Meghan giggled again before putting her index finger over her lips.

“Shh. Don’t tell uncle Bruce or Nat”

Alfred observed her for a few seconds.

“Very well, I won’t. Now, let me walk you to your bedroom”

He took her arm gently, but Meghan slapped his hand away.

“You don’t look bad, but sorry, you’re not my type, Alfie”

The butler barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

“You’re not my type either, miss Meghan. I am merely trying to help.”

“Oh! Ok, then. What a gentleman”

Alfred sighed. Meghan did know how to accelerate his ageing process.

_ Did you miss me? _

She stopped on her tracks abruptly, looking around with alarm, but only Alfred was there, and he hadn’t uttered a word.

_ I certainly missed  _ _ you. _

 

* * *

 

“TRAITOR”

The next day, Meghan stormed into the kitchen, looking murderous.

Natasha was leaning against the window drinking a glass of grape juice, and Bruce was sitting on the counter reading the newspaper and eating an omelet.

Both were ignoring each other.

However, Meghan’s wrath was aimed at the butler, whom gave her an unimpressed look upon seeing her entering.

“I did not betray you, miss Meghan. You asked me not to tell Master Bruce or Miss Natasha, and I didn’t tell them. Pancakes?”

“But you told my dad”

“Mister Stark wasn’t part of the deal”

Meghan straightened her back.

“Well, guess what? Joke’s on you. He just told me not to abuse of it”.

Natasha and Bruce rolled their eyes, and after noticing that they shared the reaction, they proceed to initiate another glaring contest. The third that day, and it was barely eight.

Alfred still looked unimpressed.

“Pancakes?” he offered again.

Meghan looked at them as if they were crazy.

“It’s barely eight am. Why are you all up?”

“Some of us have work to do” Bruce answered.

“Sounds boring”

“Others have research to do” Nat interfered.

“Sounds like torture”

“Pancakes?”

“Why are  _ you _ up so early?” Nat turned around to face her, finishing her juice and washing the glass, slapping Alfred’s hand away when he tried to take it off her hands “There’s still plenty of time before two in the afternoon”

Alfred gave Natasha a dirty look. That was his job.

Meghan thought about it for a few seconds, as if she hadn’t realized  how early she had woken up that day.

Finally, she shrugged.

“I’ll just go back to bed. You all can keep up on the dullness without me”

“So, you don’t want pancakes?”

Without answering, she stormed out of the kitchen as fast as she had arrived.

“Well, that was too much crazy too early in the morning.”

* * *

 

Meghan hated parties. She didn’t mind the fancy dress, as it made her feel like a sexy spy on a Tom Cruise movie, but she couldn’t stand the people with fake smiles talking ill about others behind their backs and showing off their wealth.

She sighed.

_ Do it for Bruce. -  _ she told herself, taking a sip of scotch.

“What is that?”

She jumped on her feet, coughing.

“Nothing” she said to Natasha, while the redhead took the glass from her. “That’s not mine”

Natasha gave her a look, but didn’t made a comment.

“Can we go now?”

Meghan was surprised and she couldn’t hide it.

“That’s usually my line. Why?”

Natasha’s eyes travelled across the room.

“Don’t you rather be lying on your lazy butt eating and watching Seth Rogen movies?”

“Well, yes, but that’s not the point”

Natasha rolled her green orbs.

“The one day in which we could agree on something, you decide to be responsible and honor your word” she muttered, drinking the entire content of the glass in one gulp. “I’ll be hiding in the toilet”

She almost vanished in a storm of white silk and hair like fire.

Meghan stood there. She blinked. She frowned. She blinked again.

She spotted Bruce (the reason of Natasha’s bad mood) close to the bar, talking to a man who seemed to be on his late fifties and started to walk towards them, not wanting to be alone.

Passing a small group of people, she stopped dead in her tracks.

The person had his back towards her, but she could recognize that haircut anywhere.

“Oliver?”

Oliver Queen turned and smiled upon seeing the girl in front of him.

The people who were talking to him took their leave.

Meghan returned the smile, walking towards him.

Oliver gave her a quick hug.

“It’s good to see you, Meg. It’s been awhile since you’ve been in Starling”

“Yeah, but I could say the same about you being here”

She looked around and noticed that he didn’t have any company.

“How’s your family?”

“Their’re, …family”

Meghan nodded in understanding, an amused smile playing on her lips.

“Yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”

Oliver chuckled, looking down and placing his hands on his pockets.

“How’s college?”

She considered her next word carefully.

“It’s, … not what I expected”

The blonde gave her a sympathetic smile.

“You though that if you tired enough you would enjoy the career, didn’t you?”

“Who says I don’t like it?” she crossed her arms over her chest, defensive.

“C’mon, Meg. We may not see much of each other, but I know you’re not cut out for the office life”

She stared at him in silence.

“Then, what am I cut out for?”

Oliver stared back for a few seconds.

“In some art studio in France, or exploring some jungle, or maybe in a lab, finding the cure for cancer...you could also take a sabbatical or two.”

She let her eyes wander over the ball room.

“My dad and Pepper are having a baby” she confessed in a murmur “But I won’t quit, even if I don’t like it. Even if I’m wasting four years, someone has to take over Stark Industries”

_ And you don’t want to risk that child taking what’s yours, even if you don’t want it. What does that say about you? _

“How do you feel about it? The baby?”

Oliver sounded concerned. Her brown eyes found his again. Nobody had asked her how she felt. Everybody had congratulated her, saying how lucky the baby was to have an older sister to protect him or her. All of them assumed that she was thrilled with the idea.

“It’s  _ their  _ baby. A little mix of the two of them, perfect”

_ Un-broken and clean, unlike you. _

“They are gonna love that kid.”

Oliver tilted his head slightly.

“You fear that he or she is going to take your place”

Ashamed of her feelings, she nodded.

“I’ve only had Tony for three years. It’s not long enough to have a father” her voice was merely above a whisper, drowned by the music, the conversations and laughs of the guests, but Oliver heard her perfectly clear.

“I doubt your dad is going to forget about you. It’s kind of hard to”.

She smiled at his playfulness.

“Yes, but he gets to be there for all the firsts of this child. And a baby takes a lot of work.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulder.

“He may seem a little distant at first, but everything goes back to normal after a while.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because I have a little sister. Believe me, you’re gonna love your little sibling”

Meghan wasn’t so sure about that. The child hadn’t been born yet and she was already jealous.

It was stupid, but her father was the only family she had. Now she was far away from him; and Tony was building a family of his own with Pepper.

Oliver saw something behind her and smiled widely.

“Told you” he said before walking away.

Meghan stared after him in confusion.

Someone grabbed her from behind and lifted her off her feet.

“Someone’s gained some weight, … but that’s good”

The person put Meghan to the ground and she turned, a big smile on her lips.

“Dad! What are you doing here?”

“I took the weekend off to visit you. And I wasn’t goin to let you suffer alone in this ball”

She threw her arms around Tony’s neck and hugged him tightly.

Tony returned the hug, the smile flattering for a second.

“I’ve missed you too, sweetie. The house is too quiet without you. Are you ok?”

Meghan stood in front of him with tears in her eyes.

“I’m fine. I just missed you and your sarcasm, …I even miss the explosions on the garage”

Tony ran his hand down Meghan’s hair, a worried expression on his face. She had sounded perfectly normal on the phone the other day.

“Are you sure you’re ok? If you miss home you can come back with me. Tonight, if you want. We’ll find you another college close to the house, or we can wait until next year”

Meghan shook her head.

“I’m fine, really. I’m so glad to see you”

She hugged him again.

Tony kissed the top of her head.

“I’m glad to see you too, sweetie”

He really was. He was used to Meghan wandering around his workshop back at home, never saying anything but observing with interest all the things he would create there. He also missed the pizza Wednesdays, where the two of them would sit on the couch the entire night watching bad horror films. He also missed tucking her; Meghan tended to fall asleep with the lights on and kick the blankets, so every night at eleven thirty, Tony would go into her room, place the covers over her, make sure they wouldn’t end up on the floor again, and turn off the light. Seeing her peaceful face while she slept helped him to gather the courage to face the demons that awaited him on the land of Morpheus, knowing that he was doing his best to make a better world for her.

They let go of each other and shared an awkward smile. This kind of moments between them were few and far between.

Meghan coughed.

“I put glue on my teacher’s chair last week” she confessed.

Tony smiled proudly.

“That’s my girl. Did you get caught?”

“ ‘Course not”

“Awesome! Give me those five, pal”

She laughed, forgetting all her worries.

Maybe Oliver was right.

“I have a mission for you, young lady” Tony said.

Meghan raised her eyebrows.

“See those two over there?”

He was pointing towards an elderly couple on the other side of the room.

“The one who looks like a walrus and the lady who looks like a horse and a turkey hybrid?”

“Yup. Those two. They don’t think you can take over the company. Talk to them, and convince them to participate on the new Van Crisis project”

Meghan felt insulted. She may not like anything related to business, but she was more than capable of handling one of the biggest companies in the world.

What she wasn’t good at though, was keeping a hamster alive for very long.

She narrowed her eyes, decisive.

“I’m gonna teach them a lesson”

“Go get them, tiger, … but don’t punch them”

Tony was testing her. He wanted to prove that she was capable of handling things the Stark way, something she had done most of her life.

Meghan walked towards the couple with a firm step. She grabbed a glass of champagne and lifted her chin, putting on her best snobby, arrogant face.

Someone grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to the side.

She yelped, but a hand covered her mouth.

The cold night air hit her exposed skin for a second before Meghan’s back collided with another person’s front.

She felt hard, warm curves. It was a woman.

Another arm sneaked around her waist.

Meghan struggled, but the woman’s arms were strong, and they held her in place.

She didn’t try to scream again, for it was useless.

Hot breath hit her ear.

“Hi, muffin”  _ her _ voice whispered, lips brushing her ear “Miss me?”

_ Oh, fuck me! _

 


	4. First Date...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!! Or whatever it is that you guys celebrate, if you celebrate something. I hope you had a good time.
> 
> This chapter was meant to be posted on the night of the 24, as a present to you, but I have another two stories which I also wanted to update, and I couldn’t finish the chapters on time.
> 
> I hope you still accept my present.
> 
> Has someone watched “Fantastic Beasts”? What did you think of it? I.Loved.It *.*
> 
> Let’s take a momento to thank Halsey for her incredible music, since her album was my muse to get this chapter done.
> 
> I know you’re gonna think this ship has sailed too soon, but I have my reasons for it, I promise.
> 
> Guuuuys, I think I need someone to help me to edit the chapters fix the grammar and stuff, and to help me to get Harley’s personality right, for sometimes I’m not so sure about how I write her.
> 
> Oh, and, if you read this chapter closely, or re-read the last one, you’ll notice a small clue on Meghan’s power. Mhm, that’s right. She’s a Metahuman! Wohoo!
> 
> Whoever who gets close to her power will get a small sneak peak of one of the next chapters :) HOw does that sound.
> 
> And by the way, I gotta warn you, this chapter got pretty dark, so if you’re uncomfortable with violent scenes, don’t read the last...three or four pages.
> 
> Yup, that’s it.
> 
> Have a Happy new year, and let’s hope 2017 is not as shitty as 2016
> 
> Thank you soooo much on the comments/reviews, favorites/alerts/kudos and, basically just for reading. Yup, I’ll probably gonna be thanking you every chapter, ‘Cause I really appreciate it. You guys are awesome!
> 
> Enjoy the read! :)

 

Chapter 3: First Date…

“Hi, Muffin” her voice whispered, lips brushing against her ear “Miss me?”

_ Oh, fuck me! _

 

Meghan’s heart started to race.

_ Don’t panic. _

She tried to escape her iron grip.

“Oh, don’t be scared” she purred, slightly biting her jaw “It’s just me”

Trying to slow down her heart beat, Meghan stopped moving.

“Good girl” she could feel the maniac smile against her skin.

Harley dropped her arms, but Meghan didn’t moved.

The blonde walked around her like a cat, swiftly heading towards the balcony doors.

She closed them in a fluid movement without being seen and turned around.

Harley smiled deviously as her eyes scanned Meghan’s shaking form.

“Why so quiet, Muffin?” she asked with fake innocence, walking towards the brunette like a predator. “Cat got your tongue?”

Meghan cleared her throat before speaking.

“I’m allergic to cats” she said shyly, avoiding the psychiatrist blue eyes.

“Oh, that’s a pity. There goes my christmas present”

Meghan didn’t look at her, finding the distant city lights fascinating all of the sudden.

Out of the blue, Harley was standing in front of her, and before she could look away, the blonde took her chin between her fingers, keeping her head in place.

She studied her for a few seconds, the loony smile never abandoning her face.

“What is it? Are you afraid of me?”

Meghan swallowed, and knowing that there was no point in lying, she nodded.

“Kind of”

Harley frowned, the craziness fading from her eyes for a few seconds before it came back full force, along with an adorable pout.

“Boo! That sucks!” 

Harley took another step even though they were standing pretty close to each other. The brunette could feel as her breasts barely touched when they breathed. Harley noticed that Meghan was warm, extremely warm.

She liked it. Very, very much.

“Don’t you worry, Muffin. You got nothing to fear. I’m not gonna hurt you...yet”

If she wasn’t scared before, she was terrified now.

Gathering up the courage, she formed a sentence:

“Why are you here?”

“I came to see you, silly” Harley said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“How did you know I would be here?”

Harley let her finger run along Meghan’s pretty nose lightly, then took a step back and reclined against the balcony.

“A little bird told me, but shh”

Meghan watched her carefully.

“But why have you come to see me?” she asked, wishing that Natasha would appear to save her from that psychopath.

The blond shrugged, staring at her green nails.

“Well, like I already said, ‘cause I wanted to see you, of course”

Meghan tensed and Harley seemed to notice, since she looked at the younger woman out of the corner of her eye, fighting back a smirk.

“Why?”

“You have repeated that word an awful in less than three minutes”

Taking the risk of sounding stupid, <which she did most of the time>, she repeated:

“Why?”

She expected Harley to roll her eyes in annoyance or worse...to hurt her, but the criminal in front of her was  not  easy to predict.

“I want to ask you out” she stated, as if it were something simple.

Meghan opened her mouth.

Then she closed it.

She opened it.

And then she closed it.

Again.

Again.

And again.

And one more time, just in case.

“Y-you...um, really? I mean…” she rumbled while Harley watched with an amused smirk. “Like, in a date?” Meghan managed to ask, blushing.

“Sure”

Harley spoke as if it wasn’t a big deal, and Meghan didn’t know is she should be angry or perplexed.

“Um, sorry Miss Quinn, but…”

“Harley”

“Harley. Right. I’m sorry, but I can’t go on a date with you”

How she managed to say that without stuttering, she would never know.

“Aw, why not?” the psychiatrist asked, looking sad.

Sexy, adorable, deathly and sad. An impossible combination,...until that very moment.

“I don’t like girls”

Harley threw her head back and laughed.

“Keep telling yourself that, Muffin and maybe one day you’ll believe it”

“Meg?” Bruce’s voice was heard on the other side of the balcony doors.

The girl turned around and saw his shadow behind the curtain. She spun back again to face the blonde bombshell.

“Monday, at three sharp on the central park, by the fountain” was all she said, smiling knowingly.

“I won’t go” Meghan warned her. She could have restrained from saying that, but the idea of Harley waiting on the cold wasn’t appealing… and said blonde getting angry at being left hanging was kind of on Meghan’s list of things she didn’t want to experience.

“We’ll see about that. Now go”

Meghan didn’t need to be told twice.

She turned and almost ran to the doors.

Before she opened, she looked back, but Harley was already gone.

Bruce was waiting at the other side.

“Are you ok?” he asked, linking her arm through his “You look pale”

Meghan swallowed and cleared her throat before speaking.

“Yeah. It’s just too crowded here”

She could almost feel Harley’s eyes on her, even though the blonde had left.

  
  


Meghan spend her saturday dealing with a massive hangover.

Harley’s invitation had both scared and excited the crap out of her, and deciding that she didn’t want to deal with her feelings, she stuck close to the bar for the rest of the night, not caring about what the other guests would think of her.

On Sunday, she went out with her dad. Meghan knew she missed Tony’s presence, but she hadn’t realised how much until they went to the city for some fun.

They had lunch and spend the rest of the day at the Carnival, eating junk food and going through almost every attraction.

“Are you ok?” She asked him, trying not to smile.

They were currently on the ferris wheel, and Tony was gripping his seat for dear life.

“Me? Of course I’m ok. Why you ask?” He didn’t dare to look at her, keeping his eyes set out in front of him.

Meghan shrugged.

“No reason...pussy”

“Grounded”

“You’re too cool to be serious about that”

“Yup. That’s right”

“It still feels good to say it, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. I got the power”

“You won’t have the power if this thing goes down and we die”

“Meg, keep that mouth shut”

She just laughed.

When the time to ride the rollercoaster arrived, the sun had long disappeared. 

Meghan and Tony took the front seats and waited like impatient children.

Meghan was almost one hundred percent sure that eating the nachos in the waiting line was a bad idea, but at that moment, she didn’t care.

Her hair was in her face and she had her hands up, high in the sky. She looked to her right and saw Tony smiling down at her, his brown eyes twinkling with tenderness and happiness.

In that exact moment, she wished time would freeze.

  
  


“And I thought  _ I  _ was the one getting old. Buddy, you can’t take a little ride?” Tony asked, rubbing small circles on Meghan’s back.

Meghan was too busy throwing up all the food she had consumed in the past year, which is why Tony only got her long, middle finger as an answer.

  
  


Meghan smiled down at the pink teddy bear and knocked on Natasha’s bedroom door.

She had won that teddy bear right before deciding that  her bed was sad without her presence.

She claimed her prize, thought that it would be a cute present for Nat and left the Carnival alongside Tony.

Saying goodbye to her father was hard. She wanted to spend more time with him, and tell him about her classes face to face rather than through the phone; but the man  had a company to run, and a pregnant girlfriend to go back to.

She hugged him for a little longer than normal, and promised not to get caught doing something bad. She also promised to make sure that Nat and Bruce wore protection, even though Meghan knew  Nat couldn’t have children.

Finally, after watching the car get lost in the horizon, she decided to pay her friend a visit to give her her gift,...and annoy her a little, just for fun.

Meghan frowned. Nat never took long to answer the door, and she couldn’t hear anything on the other side.

Meghan opened the door and was met by a dark room. The door that lead to the bathroom was open, which meant that Nat wasn’t there.

Meghan got worried.

Every time Natasha left without leaving traces meant that she was after something or someone dangerous. Trying to contact her was pointless. The only thing Meghan could do was wait.

She left the teddy bear on her bed and wrote a note before leaving the room, walking towards hers with a heavy heart. 

  
  


She woke up on monday feeling conflicted.

Did she wanted to go out with Harley? Of course not!

Well,...maybe, just maybe, a little big part of her was curious.

What could possibly go wrong?

Meghan lost count after the twentieth possibility.

She hoped Bruce was in the office that day, for she didn’t have an excuse for skipping class.

She laid on her bed and stared at the roof, contemplating the pros and cons of not going to that so called ‘date’.

Alfred found her one hour later, still as a board and focused on one point on the wall to her right.

“Miss Meghan? What are you still doing in bed? You should be on your Marketing class”

Meghan snorted. That was the place where she wanted to be the least.

“I’m not feeling very well, Alfie” she said, letting her inner actress take over the situation.

Alfred’s expression turned into one of concern. The butler walked up towards her and placed a hand on her forehead.

“It’s not fever” he stated, frowning.

“No. It’s my stomach” she put on her best ‘I’m in such agony not even Dumbledore or Apollo could help me’ face.

“Oh. I told your father it was a bad idea to eat on the Carnival. God’s knows what’s actually on that food”

That was something not even Meghan wanted to know.

_ Ignorance equals happiness, my wrinkled friend. _

“Very well, you can stay here today. I’ll let Master Bruce know and I’ll get you something for your stomach”

Meghan gave him a pitiful little smile.

“Thank you, Alfred. You’re so good with me”

“Mhm” was the only answer she got before he left her room in long, quick strides.

_ Okay, goodbye JLaw, here I come. Lend me your Oscar, sistah. _

She checked on her wrist watch and noticed that it was barely past midday.

Getting up, she headed towards the bathroom.

She couldn’t go to a date on her pajamas, right?

A few minutes later, she heard Alfred on her room.

“Ah, yes. Good idea, Miss Meghan. A nice, hot shower always helps”

Meghan smirked, reaching out for her shampoo.

“You know best, Alfie”

She was aiming for a short shower, so when she came out of the bathroom and saw that it had taken almost fifty minutes to get clean, she smiled triumphant.

It was a new record.

Entering her walk-in closet, Meghan felt as if she didn’t have anything to wear.

She spent almost half an hour deciding on the perfect outfit, and smiled with satisfaction at her choice.

A burgundy, long sleeved t-shirt, a black skirt, black pantyhose and black heels boots.

She was sure she was going to freeze, but she was also sure that she wasn’t the first girl to dress to impress instead of dressing to survive.

She checked herself in the mirror and decided that she would date herself. Noticing that there were a few minutes to kill, she decided to put on some makeup.

The makeup was a bad idea. She had lost count of how many times she had ruined her left eye, and she couldn’t find her favourite lipstick.

When her eyes looked almost even, she decided to just fuck it all and go like that. No One would notice unless they were standing too close.

She put on a black coat, grabbed her phone, her purse, and headed out of her room.

She walked her way to the front door as quickly and quietly as possible, trying to avoid running into Alfred.

“Where are you going?”

_ Really? That’s just my  luck. _

She was going to be late, so she kept on walking.

“I thought a walk through the gardens could help to make me feel better”

“Yes, yes, of course. The cold air could help you a little. Just stay close”

She gave Alfred the thumbs up and sprinted down the main staircase and was out the door in no time.

Meghan took out her headphones and connected them to her phone, deciding that the walk down the main road of the Wayne Manor would be shorter that way.

 

_ I sat alone, in bed ‘till the morning _

_ I’m crying “they’re coming for me” _

_ And I tired to hold these secrets inside me _

_ My mind’s like a deadly disease. _

 

The song reminded her of Harley, and Meghan couldn’t help but wonder how she ended up the way she did: a wanted criminal and crazy as hell. Meghan doubted Harley was always a bad person,...she doubted she was a bad person. Period.

Yeah, sure, she must have killed a lot of people, but so had Natasha, and Meghan didn’t though her redhead friend qualified as a ‘bad person’.

She reached the gates and the guard opened them without asking questions. Meghan thanked him and walked down the street four blocks before deciding she was far enough away to call a cab.

  
  


Running down the street, Meghan tired no to curse too much. She hated being late, no matter what it was for. Meghan’s mother used to joke about it, saying that her daughter had been born at twelve o’clock, just in time for lunch.

She tripped and falled  face to the ground. Luckily, he purse remained closed.

She got on her knees and saw a pale hand right in front of her face. She recognized the bracelet and the red and black nails.

“Sorry I’m late” she apologised, accepting the help.

She stood up and noticed that Harley looked different than the two times they had met before.

She wasn’t wearing the ripped t-shirt nor the panties <Well, Meghan wasn’t so sure about the panties>, and her hair wasn’t in tied up in pigtails. Instead, she was wearing a short, tight, red dress and black heels. Her hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, and Meghan couldn’t help but notice how her lips were as red as blood.

Harley shrugged.

“Just fifteen minutes, Muffin. Don’t make a fuss about it”

Meghan blushed, apologizing again. What was happening to her?

Harley gave her a small look and smiled briefly.

Meghan was waiting for Harley to start walking or to say something, but after spending the first three minutes in silence, watching Harley watch the cars pass by, she got tired.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Meghan asked, trying not to look too uncomfortable.

“I don’t know. Whatcha wanna do?”

Meghan observed her for a few seconds

Finally, she decided.

“C’mon”

Without thinking it through, she took Harley’s hand and started to drag her out of the park.

Meghan came to an abrupt halt and tried to stop a cab.

The vehicle didn’t stop, and Meghan frowned slightly at the car before turning and trying again.

Harley watched for a minute or two, clearly amused. She intertwined their fingers and swinged their hands back and forth. She noticed that Meghan’s hand was extremely warm, but the blonde wasn’t bothered by it, on the contrary, she liked that warmth.

So she took a step closer, craving more of Meghan’s hotness.

“Need a hand?” she asked, failing at hiding her amusement.

Meghan gave her a pleading look.

Harley extended her other hand.

“Well, cut it”she said, raising her eyebrows.

Meghan’s mouth was hanging open, not sure if the blonde was being serious. Placing a quick kiss on her cheek, Harley stepped in the middle of the street.

The brunette’s eyes widened. That woman had a death wish.

_ You’re here with her, so you both must have that in common. _

It didn’t take long before a cab stopped in front of Harley, whom’s expression went from ‘resting bitch face’ to a happy one.

They got into the cab and Meghan gave the driver an address.

The ride wasn’t long, but it was quite awkward.

Meghan could feel Harley’s eyes on her, and everytime she looked at her, the blonde would smirk, making her blush.

Why did she have to act like this around her?

Even the driver could tell something was off, since he looked at them every few minutes.

Meghan couldn’t be more glad when the cab came to a stop close to the dock. Shoving a twenty, she didn’t wait for the change, almost jumping out of the car, Harley following behind her, acting calm and as if everything were fine.

_ Why did I even came? I should have stayed in my bed watching House of Cards. _

She was getting scared. It was kinda late for that, she knew it, but her brain hadn’t processed her actions fast enough.

“You ok there, Brownie?” Harley asked innocently, even though Meghan was pretty sure that the other woman knew how she was feeling.

_ Well, she IS a psychiatrist, she knows how to read people. _

Meghan nodded vigorously.

Harley linked their arms and began to walk towards the small gas station across the street.

Meghan allowed her to guide her, and they both welcomed the warmness of the store.

“What do you want?” 

Meghan looked up from the suspicious yellow stain on the floor and then around the store.

“Um,...Oreos?”

She knew it sounded more like a question than anything else, but Harley didn’t say anything, smiling in approval and searching for the cookies.

Meghan decided to try and act normal, so she went up to the fridge and grabbed two beer bottles.

_ If you show her that you’re scared, she’s gonna enjoy it more. _

She turned around and Harley looked up from all the snacks that were piled up on her arms and smirked at the sight of the bottles.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t take you as an alcoholic. Are you old enough for that, Muffin?”

Meghan cleared her throat, trying to look confident so the cashier wouldn’t suspect anything.

“Age is but a number” was all she said.

  
  


Turns out, the cashier did ask for an ID, and Meghan had left the fake one somewhere on her other purse. Luckily, Harley also had a fake ID. Meghan was pretty sure the blonde was older enough to drink, so she didn’t get why the woman had to use a fake ID.

Then she remembered that she was a criminal.

“Where are you gonna take me?” Harley asked, holding the bags <Meghan had tried to help her, but the blonde hadn’t let her>.

“There” Meghan pointed towards an old building.

Harley tilted her head.

“Isn’t it closed?”she asked.

Meghan smiled at her.

“I didn’t think a closed gate would stop you”.

  
  


One hour and half a beer later, both women were seated on the rooftop of an old storage building at the edge of the dock.

Meghan liked that place. Nobody ever went there, she could see the stars and the city lights melting into one, and it was the perfect place to think or scream without being heard.

They barely talked, but this time, the silence was a nice one.

Harley opened an Oreo and eat the stuffing before the cookie.

“So,...you come here often?” she asked, grabbing another cookie.

Meghan nodded, taking a sip from her beer.

“Yup, I guess. It’s nice”

Harley nodded, narrowing her eyes.

“It is.”

They remained in silence for a few minutes, staring at the grey sky. It looked like it was going to rain that night.

“Harley?”

The blonde gave her a small look out of the corner of her eye to let Meghan know she was listening.

“Why did you ask me out?” Meghan didn’t dare to look her in the eye as she made the question.

“I thought you were cute” was all Harley had to say as an answer.

Meghan stayed in silence for a while, trying to find a way to ask her next question without upsetting her.

“B-but I-I thought you had a boyfriend, right? The crazy dude with green hair”

She should have just kept her mouth shut.

Halrey’s eyes darkened, and she looked almost feral when she whispered:

“Don ya bring Mistah J into this” her accent slipped through her words, and Meghan felt as though she had just yelled those words.

She also felt stupid. She asked her out as friends, nothing else. Or maybe she asked her out to kill her.

“I’m s-s-s-sorry” stuttered Meghan, looking away.

One second later, she could hear the smile on Harley’s joyous tone:

“Don’t cha look so scared, Muffin. People’s gonna think you’re terrified of me”

Meghan didn’t dare to confirm that theory.

She hadn’t realized she had finished her beer until Harley offered her her bottle.

“You can have it. I don’t really like beer anyways. I’m more into sweet stuff”

The way she looked at Meghan as she said the last part made her blush. Again.

Meghan took the bottle with a small ‘thanks’, taking a long sip in an attempt to loosen up a little. 

“You don’t have to be scared, you know” said Harley in such a soft tone, Meghan almost believed her.

Almost.

  
  
  
  
  


They stayed on the rooftop for another two hours before Harley claimed she couldn’t feel her butt.

Meghan chuckled, agreeing to leave.

They threw the bags on a trash can and walked towards the gates in silence.

Meghan wasn’t sure of how to say goodbye.

She didn’t have to.

“Oh, Dang it! My phone’s dead. Can you call a cab?”

She did as Harley asked.

The blonde took a seat on top of an old barrel and started to swing her legs, the mischievousness back on her blue orbs.

Meghan walked up to her, ready to say her goodbyes and walk back to the manor so she could have time to think about her stupidity, but Harley didn’t let her speak.

“I’ve got you a small surprise” was all she said.

Meghan shook her head, heart racing so much she thought it was going to burst out of her chest.

“You didn’t have to do anything, Harley.”

One of the corners of her mouth lifted.

“Yes I did. You’re gonna love it”

Meghan didn’t ask anything else. She was a nervous now. What did Harley wanted to show her? Or was she going to give her something terrifying? What if she wanted to give her a giant snake or make her do something crazy?

The cab arrived and Harley insisted on Meghan going in first.

Harley closed the door and crossed her legs slowly. Her almost-too-short-to-be-considered-a-dress lifted up, and Meghan swallowed.

_ I don’t even like girls, right? _

She was too scared to even think about the possibility.

_ Well, you don’t like boys, so, you must like something… _

_ Shut up! _

**_Great, now you’re hearing voices._ **

**_You always hear us, dumbass, you just chose to ignore us._ **

She didn’t hear the address Harley gave the driver, for she came back to her senses when the duck was an almost invisible point on her back.

Harley hummed, drawing Meghan’s attention.

“What?”

Did she have drool on her face? Or chocolate?

“Curious”

Meghan was as lost as the time she tried to learn to play chess.

“What?”

“Is that the word of the day?” Harley seemed to be having fun “You mind if I open the window?”

The brunette shook her head, even though she  _ did  _ mind. It was quite cold outside, and she was just starting to warm up from their time on the rooftop.

She didn’t have any desire of catching a cold.

_ Maybe if I let her have it her way, she’ll kill me quickly. _

The sound of glass sliding down met her ears, and a second later the air hit her.

Harley hadn’t opened the entire window, not even half of it, but Meghan shivered and put her hands inside her pockets.

The silence was another awkward one, but Harley seemed to enjoy it, humming what sounded like a Kelly Clarkson song to herself.

Meghan recognized it as ‘Since U Been Gone’, and even though she loved the song and didn’t tend to reject a karaoke contest, she chose not to join.

She looked out through the window, trying to find something to talk about.

She turned towards Harley, angling her body so she was facing the psychiatrist.

“So,...um,...what’s your favourite color?” she blurted out.

_ How original, Meg. _

Harley stopped the humming of a Taylor Swift song and smiled at her.

The cab stopped at a red light.

“Red” she said, showing her perfect white teeth “Like that cute dress you wore the other day. Yours?”

Meghan’s cheeks turned Harley favorite color, but she couldn’t tore her gaze from those maniac blue eyes.

“Blue” she said without thinking, then muttered “and red”

Harley smile grew so much, Meghan though her cheeks were going to rip apart.

Meghan shuddered when the car began to move again, sending the cold air into the back seat.

Harley raised an eyebrow, no longer smiling.

“You’re cold” it wasn’t a question.

“Nah, I’m fine”

She smiled again.

“¡Oh! Come here, Muffin”

She moved closer to Meghan, grabbing her arms and janking her until the brunette’s head was comfortably resting over the blonde’s chest.

Meghan tensed up, her heart started to race and it was hard to breathe.

Harley leaned against the door so the could be more comfy, wrapping her strong, tattooed arms around Meghan. After a few seconds, she started humming another song.

Meghan couldn’t help but be aware of the heat spreading through her body.

_ Don’t lose control now. _

She didn’t want to feel attracted to a woman, especially the infamous Harley Quinn, but with said blonde presence surrounding  her, drowning her senses, Meghan couldn’t think straight.

It almost felt right. Call her crazy, but she felt as if nothing could hurt her.

_ She can’t be that bad, can she?  _ Meghan thought.

Concluding that nobody should know about it, she silently decided to give Harley a chance.

She still didn’t like girls, though.

Meghan took a deep breath, wrapped her arms around Harley’s waist and relaxed.

Meghan even placed her legs on the seat.

The blonde’s hands started to rub her back up and down, and Meghan’s eyes began to feel heavy.

Sighing, she took a little nap.

  
  
  


“Wake up, Muffin. The moon’s out, and it’s time for the naughty kids to come out”

Meghan opened her brown eyes and frowned. The cab had stopped.

She sat up straight and Harley’s arms fell to her sides.

Meghan looked around, but she could barely see anything.

“Where are we?” she asked, noticing how far and small the city lights seemed.

“Your surprise is on the woods” responded Harley, opening her door and stepping out. 

Meghan knew she couldn’t run, Harley would catch her in the blink of an eye; and even if she had a small chance of escaping and decide to take it, it would only anger the blonde.

Harley walked around the cab and stopped in front of it, tilting her head to the side to give Meghan an expectant look.

The brunette’s heart almost stopped beating.

Harley’s face was covered in blood. Her eyes drifted to the driver, realizing he was indeed, dead.

“Oh, don’t cha worry about him, Muffin. It’s just that we can’t have any witnesses”

Meghan started to hyperventilate. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to go back in time and stay at home, safe in the company of Alfred.

Harley rolled her eyes and walked towards her. 

“C’mon, now. You’re gonna like it”

She bent over and tried to grab Meghan’s wrist, but the younger woman retreated from her touch.

_ She can’t be that bad? Really? _

_ You’re such an idiot. _

**_Now we’re gonna die, and it’ll be your damn fault._ **

Harley frowned and reached over again, grasping Meghan wrist with incredible force.

She had to drag her out of the vehicle, and then place her over her shoulder before heading towards the woods.

“Let me go! I wanna go home” She was crying by now, her eyes glued to the dead man on the front seat.

Did he have a family? Little kids to feed? A dog? Aspirations?

“Stop moving, Muffin. You got nothing to fear” Harley’s voice was calm, as if she hadn’t just murdered a man.

What kind of music did he like?

“Oh, really?”

She didn’t stop her struggle.

“Yeah, really. You’re not the one who’s gonna die tonight”

“SOMEBODY ALREADY DIED”

Harley threw her on the ground.

“AND HE WON’T BE THE LAST!”

Meghan froze, partly due to the pain of the fall, and partly out of fear.

There were two types of person. 

Those who acted on fear.

And those who froze in fear.

Meghan wished to be the first type.

Growls could be hear from her sides.

Harley lighted up a lantern she had gotten out of a small backpack tied up on a tree, and Meghan saw two hyenas walking towards them.

She tried to stand up.

The hyenas growled louder.

“Now, now, babies. She’s your friend. We don’t eat our friends” Harley spoke as if they were actual babies, instead of two beasts that could rip her apart in one second.

“A-are they,...”

“Mine? Yup. Aren’t they the cutest?” Harley smiled, petting the hyenas with a silly smile on her face “This is Bud and this is Lou. Don’t worry, they’re friendly”

She crouched in front of Meghan.

“Now, are we gonna behave?” she asked slowly.

Meghan’s eyes drifted between the psycho in front of her and her,...pets. Finally, she nodded.

Harley smiled, leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“Mwah! Good girl!”

She stood up and offered Meghan her hand, which she took shakily.

Meghan stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of how to point out the blood on her face.

“Don’t worry about that, Muffin. There’s no point in cleaning it up if we’re gonna get dirty again”

This time, Meghan almost wasn’t surprised that Harley knew what was going through her head. She had a feeling that most people though Harley as an idiot.

Harley took her hand and began to drag her through the mass of trees, with her babies following close behind her.

“Why do you want to kill me? I didn’t do anything to you” Meghan gathered the courage to speak after a five minutes walk.

Harley laughed.

“I don’t want to kill you, Muffin. You’re too pretty to be a corpse.”

“But you said that man wouldn’t be the last one to die.”

“Damn right.”

She didn’t keep asking, and they walked for another ten minutes in silence.

They arrived to an abandoned shed; the lights were on, but there wasn’t any movement that indicated that there was someone else in the small building.

Harley crouched down next to her babies and they happily licked the blood off her face.

“Be good babies and guard the place” she told them, patting their heads.

Meghan turned around, uncomfortable with the animals and stared at the door.

She had a bad feeling about all this.

“Open the door; your surprise is on the other side.”

Taking a deep breath, she complaid.

The inside was dimly lit and empty, with the exception of a man tied up to a chair, a bag covering his face.

Harley closed the door and grabbed her baseball bat, which was lying on the staircase to their right. 

“Well, whatcha waiting for? Go check your present”

Trying to stop the shaking, Meghan took small steps until she was right in front of the man.

He was conscious, she realized, but he didn’t dare to move or speak.

Meghan extended her arm and took a hold of the bag, pulling it up and revealing a face she had hoped to never see again.

Her mother’s murderer looked right back at her. His lower lip was bleeding, he had gained some weight, his hair didn’t show any sign of grey, but his face gave away his age.

It took him a few seconds to recognize her. He smirked in a sick, twisted way, looking her up and down before nodding to himself.

Meghan couldn’t move. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. She wanted to kill him.

“Well, well, well. It’s been a long time, sweet cheeks” his rough voice only brought bad memories.

She still remembered the day Colonel Rhodes had saved her. 

They ripped Charles out and away from her, Rhodey had taken her in his arms and had left the house almost running, shouting orders she didn’t get.

He had promised her Charles would spent the rest of his days in jail. He had promised that filthy human being wouldn’t hurt anybody else, especially not her.

In her state of shock, a small voice wondered how he had escaped. Surely Tony or Natasha knew about it. She wondered why they chose not to tell her.

She also wondered how long had he been free.

And how many girls he had raped before and after herself.

“You look even better now. All grown up; you got a woman’s body now” the smirk was still plastered on his disgusting face. His greedy eyes drifted to Harley, then back to Meghan, then to Harley once more, and licked his lips “Is this you trying to make it up to me for those two years in jail? ‘Cause, let me tell ya’, sweet cheeks, it’s working. I might just forgive you if you’re good”

She kept staring at him, her expression going from fear to anger.

Harley took slow steps towards them, watching Charles closely.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” he grinned, straightening up his back “Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? Why don’t you and your hot friend come over ‘ere and sit on daddy’s lap? It’ll be like the old times”

Harley came to a stop right behind Meghan, and her red lips brushed her ear when she spoke.

“Surprise”

Harley took Meghan’s hand and wrapped it around her baseball bat.

“I thought you might like some little vendetta”

Meghan didn’t move. She didn’t blink. She didn’t breath.

“C’mon, Muffin. I know you want to”

Harley placed a small kiss on her jawline and dragged her lips back to Meghan’s ear.

“Let’s see if he has a brain”

Charles couldn’t hear what they were talking about, and he was too busy checking them out to notice the baseball bat on Meghan’s hand, and how her grip on it tightened.

“C’mon, you little slut. Let’s see if you’re as tight as I remember”

Neither Charles nor Harley saw it coming.

Meghan raised the baseball bat above her head and slammed it down on Charles’s.

“OW!” Harley smiled, taking a step back . She then sing-songed “I heard something crackiiiing.”

But Meghan couldn’t hear anything besides Charles’s cries.

“YOU BITCH”

This time, she slammed the bat on his shoulder, dislocating it.

Harley took a seat on the staircase and rested her elbows against one of the steps.

Meghan took another hit, and Charles head snapped back. Surprisingly, the little fuck was still alive.

Something slipped through the floor, and Meghan crouched down to take it.

She grabbed the hem of Charles pants and slide them down to his knees.

“No! NO! NO!” He screamed, but Meghan ignored his pleas and Harley’s laughter.

The knife cut out his member in one clean movement, and Charles yelled so loud he must have been heard all the way to Australia.

“Well, that’s what I call a microscope package” Harley smiled, enjoying the show.

Meghan placed her foot on the chair and pushed it, sending it to the ground.

Charles groaned, the blood lost making him dizzy.

Meghan didn’t want him to pass out. She wanted him to suffer, just as her mother had suffered.

Gripping the baseball bat with both hands, she slammed it down his head.

Over. And over. And over. And over again.

Charles’s screams had come to a stop long ago, but she still had stamina left.

Only when his body was mere shreds did she stop to contemplate her work.

Slowly, she came back to her senses.

Dropping the bat, she looked at her blood stained hands in horror.

She had just killed a man.

A poor excuse of a man.

But still, a man.

She didn’t have any authority to decide who lived and who died. Even less so to decide on how they died.

She had just killed a man.

And she enjoyed it.

Harley clapped slowly, standing up and walking towards Meghan with intentions of admiring what was left of the man.

“Well done. I gotta give it to yah’, Muffin; I didn’t think you would be strong enough to leave him like that”

Slowly, Meghan looked at her.

“What did you made me do?” she whispered, horrified.

She had just killed a man.

And she enjoyed it.

“Oh, Boo! Don’t you dare start whining” Harley rolled her eyes, chewing her gum.

“I-I…”

“You want me to tell you a secret?” Harley asked, leaning over from where she was standing.

She stood there, like a perfect ‘L’, and for the first time, it was Meghan who had to look down at her.

“You enjoyed it” Harley voiced her thoughts. 

Meghan shook her head.

“No. No, I didn't”

“Liar, liar, pants. On. Fire”

She had just killed a man.

And she enjoyed it.

“It’s okay, Muffin. It’s on human nature”

Meghan shook her head once more.

Harley stood straight again.

“Don’t worry. Nobody will know. I’ll take care of it”

“Why did you made me do this?”

The blonde rose a perfect eyebrow.

“I didn’t force you to do anything, Muffin; I just gave you a weapon, and you chose to use it.”

She  _ was  _ right. 

Meghan could have rejected the weapon and call the police instead.

_ Bah! Police in Gotham City? They would probably have set him free. _

_ An eye for an eye. _

No.

_ He can’t hurt you know. _

I’m a criminal.

_ Not exactly. _

**You. Enjoyed. It**

“You enjoyed it” repeated Harley, smirking deviously.

Later on, Meghan would ask herself why she did what she did next, but she wouldn’t find an answer.

She took Harley’s face in her blood stained hands and kissed her fiercely.

Harley returned the kiss immediately. Wrapping her arms around Meghan’s waist to draw her closer.

Their breaths were erratic, and Meghan was staining Harley’s skin with blood, but neither of them seemed to care.

The blonde began to walk, guiding Meghan until her back hit a wall.

Harley’s hands travelled south, gripping Meghan’s thighs and scooting her up.

Meghan wrapped her legs around Harley’s waist and her arms around her shoulder blades and gripped the fabric of her dress, ripping it in half.

At some point, they ended up rolling around in the blood without noticing.

Meghan pushed Harley until the blonde was on her back, and the other woman was straddling her.

She began to spread kisses down her neck.

Harley threw her head back and laughed maniacally.

Both of them had killed a man. 

And they enjoyed it.


	5. The Monster Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is important.
> 
> Turns out this author is an impatient idiot. So, I made a mistake with Meghan and now I’m going to re-write the first three chapters, that way everything will make more sense.
> 
> I’ll try to write faster, and the re-wrtie will probably be ready at the same time as chapter five. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know.
> 
> Not everything is gonna change. The story will be the same, but there are some aspects about Meghan’s background and her life that need to be changed. She’s gonna remain the same, almost...just a little more,...”unstable”, let’s say.
> 
> Thanks for the patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> On this one, we see how Meghan deals with the guilt of murdering someone, and also, a new character is introduced :3
> 
> I hope you all have a nice day :)

 

  
  


Muffin

Chapter 4: The monster inside of her.

  
  
  


Meghan arrived to the Wayne Manor soaking wet.

She had come to her senses in time, and pulling away from Harley, she got up from the floor, muttered a lame excuse she couldn’t remember, and left the cabin.

Harley’s pets ignored her as she ran through the woods and into the road.

She didn’t dare to glance in the direction of the cab, where the dead driver sat over the steering wheel.

She saw the city lights in the distance and ran towards them, ignoring the protests from her feet.

It took a couple of hours to arrive, and just like she had suspected earlier that day, a storm broke loose.

The door creaked when she opened it; the manor was consumed in darkness.

Meghan payed no mind to the ‘Cliché horror movie scenario’ and raced towards the stairs.

Looking to her left, she saw the lights on the corridor that led to the kitchen open, and what appeared to be two male shadows walking in her direction.

She crouched and kept her ascending, trying to be as fast as possible.

She reached the top of the stairs and saw Bruce and Alfred walking around the corner.

They saw the door slightly open and Bruce turned in her general direction while Alfred closed it.

Busted.

Meghan swallowed, grateful for the darkness of the place, otherwise they would have seen the blood on her...everything.

“Meg! Where have you been?” asked Bruce, marching towards her.

She panicked.

Spinning around, she ran down the corridor and through another set of stairs until she reached the third floor. 

She walked towards the second door and entered her room, going straight to the bathroom and locking the door.

She turned on the light and striped off her clothes, deciding it would be best to burn them. She turns on the shower and doesn’t wait for the water to warm up before stepping inside it.

“Meg! Are you alright? Where have you been?” Bruce’s worried voice could be heard on the other side of the door.

Meghan took a deep breath and hold it.

_ He doesn’t know. He doesn’t need to know. Just calm down, or he’ll notice something’s wrong. _

_ He already noticed, dumbass. _

“Go away” she whispered, massaging her temple.

_ You can’t tell me what to do. And don’t you dare go in shock now, you can do that later. _

“Shut it” she yelled, and the voices stopped. The one  in her head and the other outside her bedroom.

She took in another breath.

“I’m fine, uncle Bruce. I’m just really cold”

_ Alright. That’s not a lie. You’ll be fine. _

“Where have you been, Ana?”

_ Oh! He using the first name. He’s using the first name. _

“I went for a walk in the gardens and fell asleep. Do you realize we practically live in the woods?”

She scrubbed at the dry blood on her arms and face,  not daring to open her eyes; she would lose it if she saw the blood running on the floor.

“I don’t believe you”

She froze, still reaching for the shampoo bottle.

_ Keep it cool. _

“Well, too bad for you, mister, because that’s what happened”

“Meg, did something happen? You can tell me”

His soft tone made her want to cry.

Meghan took a deep breath to keep the tears away and answered:

“Nothing happened, really”

“I’ll protect you”

She considered telling him everything, since her first encounter with Harley to what she had done that night.

_ He won’t protect you if he knows you’re a murderer. _

“I just had a bad dream and I’m cold. I’ll be fine; you worry too much”

No sound came from the other side of the room, and Meghan waited under the hot water, her heart in her throat.

“You’re not gonna give in, are you?”

He knew her well.

When Bruce didn’t get a response, he left.

Alfred set down a tray with soup and crackers and looked up at his master’s somber face.

That girl was up to something.

* * *

  
  


Meghan stayed in the shower until her skin was red and the water started to run cold.

Stepping out, she didn’t even bother in drying herself before taking a robe and putting it on.

She opened the door and saw the tray with soup and crackers on her nightstand.

Had it been another normal day, she would have smiled.

Bruce came in just when she was getting under the blankets.

He seemed worried, and she almost slapped herself.

_ Of course he’s worried. You busted through the door like a demon and ran like that dude from Central City. _

“Hey” she said, taking the tray with shaking hands.

Bruce closed the door behind him and leaned against it. Sighing, he placed a hand against his forehead.

“Meg, where have you been? And don’t lie to me this time”.

He sounded tired, and after her eyes went to the wall in front of her where the clock was, she notice that it was almost 1AM.

She felt horrible for making him stay awake so late, knowing that he had had a long day at work, and he would have another just as long the next day.

“I didn’t lie, uncle Bruce. I went for a walk to clear my head and fell asleep.”

He watched her for a few seconds. 

Meghan tried to act normal. She blew on the spoon, placed it on her mouth, and spit out the contents. That was the normal way in which she started drinking soup.

Her tongue was on fire.

“Are you scared of someone?” he asked suddenly, walking towards her and taking a seat on her bed.

Meghan's eyes widened for a fraction, but he noticed.

“No.”

_ Think fast. Think fast. _

“I’m scared  _ for  _ someone” she blurted out, and continued before he could spot another lie, although technically, she was telling the truth. “I’m scared Nat won’t come back this time.”

Bruce almost smiled.

“You don’t need to worry about her, kiddo. Unfortunately for me, she always comes back”

“I don’t believe in ‘always’”

“Don’t you try to get clever with me now. And…”

“I’m also concerned about one of my classmates”

He raised an eyebrow. Meghan didn’t talk much about the people in her classes.

“Why?”

_ Good, it’s working. Keep his attention away from you. _

“Well, there’s this girl, and she has a twin sister. Her parents store got on fire, so they spent a lot of their money on getting their business back on track and…”

“Your point is?”

“The point is: that their parents can’t afford the semester for the both of them, so I heard that she’s involved in some dirty business with the Dean so her sister and her can stay at college”

That definitely caught his attention.

“And nobody reported it?”

Meghan looked at him as if he were an innocent child.

“Nobody cares. Besides, they need to graduate, which is pretty hard if you can’t go to class”

Bruce frowned at that.

“Is something else happening at your class?”

She tripped her fingers on the verge of the tray and let her eyes fly through the room, pretending to think about it, when in reality, there was so much going on she could have written a series of books.

“There’s another guy who is really smart and straight, but Mr.Miller is blackmailing him with sex for the grades he actually deserves. And one of the girls in my economy class is a dealer”

He just stared at her with his lips parted.

Meghan hid her smile taking the spoon to her mouth.

Even though those things were unfortunate, it helped to get the attention away from her. 

Meghan was sure that Bruce had some kind of weird friendship with the Bat, and that the information that she had just given would distract them both for a while.

The last thing she wanted was for Bruce to suspect that she was a serial killer, and send his friend in black to interrogate her.

“Finish your soup and rest. I got work to do.”

He got up, kissed her forehead and left the room in a hurry.

* * *

 

Meghan couldn’t sleep.

Everytime she closed her eyes, all she could see was those of Charles.

She didn’t understand. That guy deserved it, right? He had destroyed her. He took a life that was not his to take, and then he ripped off the remaining innocence of Meghan. She was lucky enough not to get pregnant. She was lucky enough to have been found, and to have a father who welcomed her with open arms.

Had it not been for Tony, Rhodey, Bruce and Alfred, Meghan wouldn’t have trusted a man ever again.

Which led her to her next question: was that the reason why she didn’t find men appealing? 

Had she been always like this? Maybe, had she had a somewhat normal childhood, she would have had ‘normal sexual preferences’.

She shook her head, disgusted with herself. ‘Normal sexual preferences’? Now she sounded like one of those homophobic idiots.

She had a gay friend back in New York, and she was completely fine with it.

Then why was it so hard for her to accept the fact that she liked women?

She kicked the blankets, and two seconds later, she picked them up from the floor. Again.

Her mother had taught her that sexual diversity was completely normal. Hell! African lions and dolphins were bisexual. If the dolphins did it, then how could it be wrong?

Meghan suspected that Tony knew. When she was sixteen, he had gone to her room to talk to her. Meghan hadn’t been sleeping well, and her math teacher thought it would be funny to punish the students by having them solve thirty equations in one day.

 

“ _ We have a life” said Claire, one of Meghan’s classmates. _

_ “In that case, let’s make it forty.five” _

_ Nobody really liked Claire after that. Not even Tim, the so called ‘nerd’ of the class. _

_ Meghan had spent the whole afternoon finding out where the stupid ‘X’ was, and after twenty four exercises, she was just about to give in to temptation and circle the equation on her book when she heard a knock on her door. _

_ She looked up and growled: _

_ “Come in” _

_ Tony opened the door with a small smile on his face. He was carrying a big glass of milk and a plate with cookies. _

_ “I got you a peace offer” _

_ She arched her eyebrow. _

_ After living almost a year and a half under Tony’s roof, Meghan had realised a few things: _

 

  * __He was a playboy.__


  * _He had a crush on Pepper._


  * _He was too full of himself._


  * _He owned too many cars and was a selfish Snow grandson for not wanting to share them._


  * _He was a royal jerk._


  * _He wasn’t so bad, really._


  * _Milk and cookies equals ‘A serious talk’_



 

_ In the Stark family, a serious talk involved a few sarcastic remarks, an awkward hug, a brief heart to heart and watching cartoons. In no particular order. _

_ “So, watchha doin’?” he asked, placing the cookies on the bed and taking a seat on the floor next to his daughter. _

_ “I don’t understand how you like maths” she complained, gesturing towards the torture in front of her. _

_ “I thought you liked them too” _

_ “I’m good, which is different. You, on the other hand, have sexual dreams about them” _

_ Tony shrugged. _

_ “I like the headache they give me.” _

_ She looked at him as if he had two and a half heads. _

_ “You have to do Baskara. Now, we need to have one of those stupid conversations in which you tell me how insecure you feel being a teenage and having agne, and I get to tell you how much I’m gonna love you no matter what and that you’re beautiful just the way you are..” _

_ The brunette teen grabbed a cookie and took a bite. They weren’t homemade, they were from the McCafé down the street. She still liked them though. _

_ Also, she chose to pretend she hadn’t heard the Bruno Mars reference. Tony claimed to hate his music. _

_ “Didn’t you just do that?” _

_ “I’d rather have you say it” _

_ Meghan took another bite of her cookie and solved the equation. _

_ “Are you gonna ignore me?” _

_ Equation number twnty-six, here I come, you little motherfu… _

_ “Alright, I’ll start” said Tony, taking her book and throwing it across the room. _

_ Meghan wasn’t impressed. _

_ “I talked with one of your teachers” _

_ “You mean, like you’re supposed to do? Congrats! Here, have half of my cookie as a reward” _

_ Despite the sarcasm, Tony took the cookie. _

_ “She said you were having problems” _

_ At this, she frowned. _

_ “Problems? I’m Acing all my classes” _

_ Except P.E; Meghan had better things to do than get hit by someone while playing dodgeball, such as trying to find the entrance to the Daedalus labyrinth, and watch ‘Modern Family’ _

_ Tony sighed, unsure of how to board the subject. _

_ “Not that kind of problem, sweetie. You see, um,...you know I love you, right?” _

_ Meghan leaned her head, suspicious. _

_ “Did you break my laser sword again?” _

_ He chose to ignore that. He had, in fact, broken the thing again, but that wasn’t what he was trying to say. _

_ “Look, I know people can be mean, but that’s because they’re afraid of change, and I’m not trying to justify their behavior, I’m saying that you shouldn’t care about what other people say.” _

_ Meghan blinked. _

_ “I still don’t see the point” _

_ “My point is: You don’t have to hide who you are just because some dickhead is a scared ignorant.  You don’t have to be ashamed of the way you feel. Love is complex and sometimes sucks, but there’s no wrong way of feeling” _

_ “Oh! I see. You know about those girls” Meghan took a pencil and started to play with it “Don’t worry, they don’t bother me” _

_ For a couple of months, Meghan had to endure the bullying of some girls on her chemistry class. Meghan often wondered when the word ‘lesbian’ became an insult. It still affected her though, and Crystal and her friends knew it. _

_ “That’s not what your teacher said” when Meghan rolled her eyes, he continued “You don’t have to go to that school anymore. We can find another. There’s also this school in Queens that Pepper told me about, it has zero tolerance for…” _

_ “Oh by the Gods! Just drop it!”  _

_ They both stayed silent for a few seconds. Meghan didn’t usually raised her voice. _

_ “I’m sorry.” she said “I’m not gonna run away every time someone says something hurtful. Besides, I don’t care; I know the truth, and it’s all that matters, right?” _

_ They didn’t just ‘say things’, but she decided to keep that part to herself. _

_ Tony crossed his legs, wishing Pepper was there to help him. _

_ “Yes, you’re right; but still, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.” _

_ Oh dear, he wasn’t going to drop it.Oh no! he had caught her staring at Nat for too long. _

_ Of course she would gawk at her! Who wouldn’t? That russian woman could make ANYONE question their sexuality _

_ “Dad, I’m not gay” _

_ Lie. _

_ “And if you don’t drop it, I’ll have to prove it to you by bringing some guy home and if I get pregnant,... _

_ “Ah, stop, stop, stop. I got it! There’s no need to threaten me with the ‘P’ word” _

_ He was out before she could say ‘Straight’ _

* * *

 

She had nothing to fear. And she hated herself for not being able to accept it. Meghan knew she had it quite easy; her father had an open mind. She also knew that neither Bruce or Nat would care.

The only problem was herself, and her bad taste for women.

  
  
  


“Where are you going?”

Meghan stopped on the last step of the stairs and looked up.

Bruce was looking at her, newspaper in one hand and a file in the other.

“Um, class? I got a test to take”

She sneezed. 

_ Well, fucking great. _

“Maybe you should stay in bed today” he said, walking towards her.

In any other occasion, she would have taken the opportunity without thinking, but Meghan needed air. Being locked up in her room all night had made her uneasy. She kept looking out the window every few minutes, expecting to see the red and blue lights of a police car in the distance. Changing environments could help her. 

Or not.

“I’m fine, really. See you later.” she rushed past him like a storm “Hey Jason, bye Jason”

Jason Todd moved to the side, trying to avoid being pushed.

“Um, hey, Meg” he turned to Bruce, who was looking at the spot where Meghan had been standing a few moments before. “What’s the matter with her?”

* * *

  
  


Going to class was also a bad idea.

_ You need to chill, dude. Nobody knows it. _

She looked around, but nobody was walking near her.

Meghan hurried to her economy class and took a seat at the far end of the room.

Nobody even looked at her as they entered the classroom, but that didn’t made her feel any better.

It turned out that the part of her having a test wasn’t a lie.

She cursed under her breath. Obviously, she hadn’t studied anything.

_ Maybe it’ll help me to get my mind off what happened. _

**Question number one:**

‘Define Inflation and explain the current state of the country’

_ See? You worry too much; this is easy. _

Even without having studying, Meghan managed to answer all the questions in record time. She looked up and noticed that she was the only one who had finished the test.

The memories started to assault her again. She looked down and saw her answers written in blood.

She gasped, and everybody turned to look at her.

“Are you alright, Miss Parker?” the teacher asked.

She put on her special charming smile and nodded.

“Sorry, I just hit my elbow with the end of the desk”

Just as they were looking at her, they focused on the test again.

She looked down again, but her answers were written with black ink.

Meghan grabbed her things and got up. She gave her test to the teacher, who seemed slightly dumbfounded.

“Are you sure, Miss Parker?”

Meghan wondered how did her father got away with her being registered as ‘Parker’ instead of ‘Stark’, and came to the conclusion that ignorance was bliss.

She extended the hand holding the test for the teacher to take and left the classroom.

She sneezed.

Her phone beeped. Frowning, she searched inside her backpack for the damn thing. She opened her message and froze:

‘ **_Lighten up, Muffin! Nobody will know; pinky promise. XOXO_ ** _ ’  _ next to a red and blue heart emoji.

She looked around but didn’t see any sign of the blonde psycho.

“Hey, Meg”

She jumped, startled, and her heart almost left her body.

A cute laugh followed.

“Sorry”

Krista smiled at her. 

Meghan liked Krista Adams. She was, surprisingly, smaller than Meghan, had light brown hair and kind green eyes. They shared a few classes, and Meghan had gone out with Krista and her friends a couple times.

“Um, no. I mean, don’t apologize, I’m still alive”

_ OH MY GOD! WHY do you have to be so weird? _

Krista and the voice seemed to disagree, for she laughed again.

“Glad to know I’m not a murderer” 

_ Act cool. Ignore that and act cool. _

Meghan smiled, trying to hide the panic in her brown eyes.

“I’m glad I caught you, you walk like the roadrunner.”

_ The what? Doesn’t matter, just laugh. _

She laughed.

“Listen, there’s gonna be a party this friday, it’s on this frat house and…”

_ Well, since you won’t embrace your criminal side, you could use the distraction, _

“Sure” Meghan interrupted her.

“Really?” Krista sounded hopeful.

“Yeah, I’d love to”

Krista smiled. Meghan liked that smile.

“Cool. And since it’s the last party before Christmas break…”

“Christmas? Is it that time of the year already?” asked Meghan, feeling like a complete idiot.

Christmas? When did that happened?

_ Can’t you keep your mouth shut? _

Krista giggled.

“Yeah. What planet do you live in?” her voice betrayed her amusement.

Meghan was surprised Krista wasn’t treating her like the idiot she was.

“Oh, I live in MeghanLand: Where you’ll always find clothes and shoes of your size, everybody has chocolate and ice cream trees. Also, you get free sugar candy twice a day, there’s a Ryan Gosling for every girl and boy, no homework, cool music, and unicorns whom vomit coffee and fart rainbows.”

_ But what the fu.. _

“MeghanLand sounds cool” nodded Krista, trying to keep the laugh from erupting. She looked at Meghan through her eyelashes, and an adorable blush covered her cheeks “Although I’m not interested in the Ryan Gosling part”

“Don’t worry, it’s not mandatory to have one” shrugged Meghan.

_ You’re really thick, Stark. _

“Why?”

“Why what?”

_ I’m not telling ya’. You figure it out, dummy. _

Krista was looking at her with confusion written all over her face.

Meghan’s phone beeped again.

“Why…

_ Think fast. _

“Why are you inviting me to the party?” she asked, ignoring her new message.

“Why not? You’re pretty cool” Krista’s cheeks hadn’t lose the color yet. Meghan felt the temptation to say something to redden them even more, but decided against it. “And, we’re playing invisible friend, so if you’re coming I need to know before this afternoon, so Dave can add your name to the sorting”

Meghan closed her eyes. She wasn’t the best at giving gifts.

“I didn’t know they played that in frat houses” commented Meghan, trying to decide if going or not.

Krista nodded, thoughtful.

“Yeah. I guess they’re just weird. You like weird, right?”

Meghan smirked.

“I love weird”.

“Awesome!. You’ll come?” She intertwined her hands as if begging “Pretty please?”

_ Oh, she’s doing the puppy eyes. _

Meghan sighed.

“Sure. I’ll go”

“Great!” Krista clutched to her bibliorato “It won’t be as fun as MeghanLand, but you’ll have a good time, I promise”

Her phone beeped again, and Krista’s eyes diverted towards the hand holding the device “I can leave if you need to take that”

Meghan shook her head. Krista was a welcome distraction.

“Nah, it’s fine. Probably some youtube alert”

“Oh, okay”

Meghan waited patiently. It looked like Krista wanted to say something.

“I won’t bite” she assured the girl.

The phone beeped again.

“Um,..can I,...have...your number?...So I can text you the details of the party” As she got to the end of the sentence, her voice started to fade..

“Sure”

Krista took out her phone with shaky hands and wrote down the number Meghan dictated on the fancy device. She saved it and gave the brunette a small smile.

Meghan returned the smile.

“You can invite your friend as well” said the petite girl.

Meghan’s smile fell.

“Well, she’s out of town for a while, so it’ll be just me”

She just hoped that Natasha would make it back in one piece.

“Good! ...I mean, yeah, well, you’re more than enough.. Not that I don’t like Natasha! I mean…ugh”

Meghan laughed, and Krista’s cheeks turned a bright red, again.

“I understood” 

The doors to the classrooms opened, and all the students started to rush past them, worried about making it to the next class on time.

Meghan sneezed.

“Bless you”

The brunette smiled.

“I’ll see you around” she said.

Krista nodded.

“Yeah”

The green eyed girl took a step forward and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

“See ya’”

Meghan watched her disappear into the crowd feeling slightly confused.

Then, she shrugged and decided to try and sit through another class without having a mental breakdown.

Her phone beeped again.

Rolling her eyes, she opened the messages.

 

**_Who is that?_ **

Oh dear!

**_I don’t like her._ **

Crap.

**_I WILL bite her._ **

Shit.

The fourth message was a skull and knife emoji with a red, angry face.

_ Well, fuck. _

 

Harley’s messages only caused her memories to come back in full force. 

The brunette made it to her car with jelly legs and sat inside for almost an hour.

_ He deserved it. _

“It doesn’t matter” she answered, running a hand through her hair “I had no right to take his life”

_ He didn’t have the right to do all those things to you, so we can call it even. _

“It doesn’t mean that I can fall as low as him”

_ Why you worry so much anyway? _

“Because I committed a crime, genius! I could go to jail.

“ _ Meh! Tony could get us out. He’s got the best lawyers working for him” _

“That wouldn’t be fair”

_ Since when do you care about fair? _

Meghan sighed. I still wasn’t right.

“I’m a monster” she whispered.

Someone as sweet as Krista shouldn’t be friends with the likes of Meghan.

_ “I don’t think a monster would recognize itself as such _ ”

“Maybe. Maybe not”

_ “You wanna know what I think?” _

Meghan’s face reflected defeat.

“You’re gonna say it no matter what I want”

_ “I don’t think you feel guilty about killing him” _

“Oh, really? Then what do I feel?” 

Meghan looked around, trying to find the voice.

_ You know I’m in your head. _

“I can’t help it”

_ You feel guilty of liking it. You loved having his life on your hands, and you also loved seeing how the light abandoned his body. _

Meghan didn’t say anything. Her eyes were glued to the wheel, and the image of the dead taxi driver came to mind.

She didn’t want to admit that. What kind of person she would be? What kind of person she was?

She wished she could build a time machine and go back in time. That way, she would make sure her past self would stay far away from Harley, and Gotham City all together.

She sneezed.

_ You should take something. Wouldn’t want to miss the party _ .

“Shut up”

* * *

  
  


She spent the rest of the afternoon on the kitchen with Alfred. The butcher made her a sandwich and tea, Meghan’s favorite medicine.

They spent the afternoon in silence, making some remarks here and there. Alfred was busy with dinner, and Meghan was busy with her Marketing assignment.

Her phone beeped, but Meghan didn’t want to check the new message. Harley had scared the hell out of her.

“Miss Meghan, someone requires your attention” said Alfred, chopping onions.

_ Thanks a lot, man. _

She took the black device and unlocked it. 

The message was from an unknown number, but it made her smile.

 

‘ Hey! It’s Krista. Just wanted to make sure you got my number :)’

Meghan didn’t waste anytime in answering.

**‘Sup, K?. I’m glad you wrote. For a minute I thought I had given you the wrong number”**

She put the phone down and waited impatiently for a reply. Alfred arched an eyebrow. Meghan frowned.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing, Miss Meghan. I’m just chopping onions, not spying on you”

_ Smooth. _

She picked up her phone when it beeped again.

‘Lol. That would have been funny :p. Are you ok? Didn’t see you in the afternoon classes’

So Krista noticed her absence? And she bothered to ask about it? That was sweet.

**‘I’m fine, just feeling a little sick’**

‘Well that sucks :(. I hope you feel better soon’

**‘I’ll be back to ruling Meghan Land tomorrow ;)’**

‘Lmao. Good. You wouldn’t want the country to collapse’

She laughed out loud.

“Ooooh! What do we have here?” asked Jason, taking the phone from Meghan’s hands.

“Hey! Give it back.”

Jason waved the phone over his head, and although Meghan jumped, she couldn’t reach it. Alfred took it from Jason’s hands and gave it to Meghan. The older man hit the younger one in the head with a big spoon.

“You’re not supposed to invade a lady’s privacy, Mr. Todd.”

Jason rolled his eyes, but didn’t do anything.

‘ **Yeah, that would be unfortunate’**

Bruce entered the kitchen.

“How was the test?” he asked Meghan while serving himself a cup of coffee.

“Easy. I’m going to a party on friday”

His eyebrows touched his hairline.

“You?” he asked.

“A party?” Alfred couldn’t believe it.

“Cool! You going with someone?” asked Jason, taking a breadstick from...somewhere.

She tried to shrug it off.

“A friend”

Jason laughed. Very loudly.

“You got friends?”

She frowned at him.

“Go play with your leotards, dickhead”

“Language, Miss Meghan”

She didn’t say anything else, turning towards Bruce with a inoffensive expression on her face.

“Alright”

“Thanks!” she got up and gave him a hug, which was awkwardly returned.

“But Jason is going with you”

“What?”

“Sorry, what?”

Meghan and Jason shared a look and groaned.

_ Fantastic. _

_ _

 

 


	6. Of War and Peace, and Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatzuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup! (I love sayin’ that ‘cause it scares my bff, lol)  
> A PICTURE OF MARGOT ROBBIE NAKED HAS BEEN LEAKED.  
> Now that I have your attention, folks, I’ll let you know that I re-wrote chapters 1 and 2, AND I added a Prologue from the point of view of the Clown and our favorite psychiatrist; so maybe you’ll want to read those before this new chapter.  
> Sorry about the long wait, hope you don’t throw rocks at me.

_ 20 months earlier. _

 

_ On the twentieth-four of april*, Meghan woke up early. _

_ Uncle Bruce had promised to take her out in a tour of Gotham City, for which the girl was both excited and slightly scared. _

_ She skipped down the stairs in a pretty green dress, black pantyhose and black flats.  _

_ The sun shined strongly and proud, invading the Wayne manor with its light. _

_ Bruce made his way out of the kitchen with a frown on his face and sighed, closing his eyes upon seeing Meghan. He had forgotten about the tour. _

_ “Hey, there” she greeted, skipping the last three steps. “I thought we could catch some breakfast at the Diamond District; dad said there are some pretty good places there. And, can we go to the Robinson park…” _

_ “I’m sorry, Meg, but I got a call from the office in Metropolis. I have to go right now” _

_ Her smile died, and Bruce felt like a jerk. _

_ “Maybe Miss Meghan could go with you, Master Bruce” spoke Alfred, the saviour as always “She could learn a thing or two from this meeting” _

_ Meghan’s smile returned, only to be replaced by a grimace a moment later _

_ “Or you could explore the city” said Bruce “The science museum is quite easy to find; I’m sure you’ll love it” _

_ Her face lit up once more, and waving a quick goodbye towards Alfred direction, she dragged Bruce out of the house. _

 

* * *

 

_ She could barely hear anything besides the sound of the helicopter’s  engine and blades cutting the air. _

_ She was reading a permission form for a satellite when she heard her uncle yelling over the noise of the death trap. _

_ “How bad is it?” He asked to the pilot. _

_ “They say the city is being evacuated, sir. We really should turn around” responded the man. _

_ Meghan sat up straight, and leaning over she asked: _

_ “What is it?” _

_ “A terror attack on Metropolis. The city is being evacuated” _

_ Meghan frowned, worried for the people. _

_ “How far are we?” _

_ “Just a few minutes” Bruce gave her a look. “I’m going to go help in Wayne Tower, and you’re gonna go back to Gotham with Jimmy” _

_ “My name’s Steve”  _

_ Meghan narrowed her eyes, knowing that getting a sore throat from arguing on a helicopter was pointless. _

_ “Ok” _

_ As they got closer to the city, she started to distinguish the lights shooting across the sky, ruining the previously clear sky  There was some sort of machine with four legs suspended in the air, with a ring around it. It reminded her of Saturn, if said planet had legs and were trying to kill mankind. _

_ Planes flew by above them, some towards the city, and others away from it. _

_ As soon as the door of the helicopter opened, Meghan jumped out. _

_ She landed on her feet and hands, but got up quickly, ignoring the burning sensation. _

_ Almost not believing that she had the guts to get herself in the middle of the storm, she ran after Bruce and got in the passenger seat of the car. _

_ He gave her a dark look. _

_ “Meghan…” _

_ She faked innocence. _

_ “What?” Looking back, she smirked “Jimmy already left. You got no options here, pal” _

_ Tony and that ginger assassin would have his head for this, but there was no time to waste; she was safer with him. _

_ He drove them into the city at maximum speed, barely avoiding colliding with the other vehicles. _

_ A building exploded next to one of the main streets, and Bruce took an abrupt turn to the left, only to be met with a cloud of dust coming their way. _

_ “You don’t know what could be in there” advised Meghan. _

_ He seemed to agree, turning right instead of going straight. _

_ “Take my phone and call Jack” he instructed, moving his body slightly towards the left. _

_ Meghan took the plastic device from his back pocket and unlocked it (Bruce made a mental note on asking her how she knew the password), going to the contacts list. _

_ She pressed the call button and then placed the phone against his ear. _

_ “Jack? Jack, listen to me. I want you to get everyone out of the building right now.” _

_ Keeping the phone against Bruce’s ear, Meghan leaned a little towards the windshield. The machine shoot another thunderbolt. It was shooting at the ground. _

_ The little fucker is trying to destroy the entire planet.  _ _ Meghan speculated, hoping to be wrong. _

_ “Jack?. Jack! _

_ Right in front of them, two SUV crashed, and Bruce took another right. _

_ Meghan placed the phone against her ear. _

_ “Do I call him again?” she asked, noticing the silence on the other line. _

_ Bruce nodded. _

_ A car and part of a building exploded, setting everything on fire. Meghan’s eyes widened. NOW she was definitely terrified. _

“Take a deep breath and think about how many deaths could be on your hands if you don’t do anything” _ had said Natasha once, when Meghan had asked her where did she find the courage to kill someone. _

_ Before Meghan could fully process what was happening, they were racing down an alley, and they were back again on the street. _

_ Buildings were falling down on both sides, and the street was full of abandoned cars. _

_ Another turn lead them to a crowd of people. _

_ The car came to a stop, and with jelly legs, Meghan followed Bruce. _

_ They watched as something crashed against the machine, provoking lightnings and sending a big wave in all directions. _

_ Bruce started to run towards its direction, and Meghan shut down her brain before following him as fast as she could. _

_ They stopped two blocks away from Wayne Tower, and Meghan pressed the ‘End’ button on her uncle’s phone. _

_ Bruce looked at the delicate hand holding the device before turning his head towards the building where his friend was about to die. _

_ “JACK” _

_ Meghan ran after him, stopping once to help a man to get on his feet. He was on his early sixties, and had a broken leg. Another two men raced to help her, and she left the man on their care. _

_ She turned around, and all of the sudden, a big cloud of dust surrounded her vision. _

_ There was a woman next to a red car on fire. _

_ “HELP!” Meghan crossed the street. _

_ “Hey” _

_ The women sighed upon seeing her before pointing at something inside the car. _

_ “It’s my son. We can’t get him out” _

_ She saw that there was a little girl clinging to the woman. She must have been eight, with brown hair and a thin line of blood falling down her forehead. _

_ Meghan nodded and got inside the car.  _

_ “Take a few steps back ma’am” she warned, watching the growing fire with distrusted eyes. _

_ The boy was unconscious, and Meghan noticed that the seat belt was stuck, the buckle had bend, making it impossible to unlock. _

_ The car was upside down, meaning that Meghan had to hurry up, for she didn’t want the blood rushing to the kid’s head. _

_ She encircled his shoulders with one arm, trying to maneuver with the other. _

_ “You don’t have a knife, do you?” she yelled, getting a weak negative from the mother. _

_ Cursing under her breath, she forced herself not to look in the direction of the front of the car. _

_ One of the wheels exploded, and Meghan yelped. _

_ She managed to set the boy’s torso free from the belt, and carefully, she pulled him out, trying to free his legs. _

_ Sighing with relief, she dragged him up.  _

_ Just as she picked him up in her arms, the car exploded, the flames embracing them both. _

_ She hear the mother and her daughter screaming in terror. _

_ Meghan walked out of the flames, thankful for choosing to use the special underwear her father had designed in case of emergency. _

_ Her outfit was nothing but a nice memory, but at least she wasn’t naked. _

_ The woman fell to her knees upon seeing them, before getting up again and rushing towards Meghan. _

_ “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you” she cried, taking her unresponsive son in her arms “You’re an angel” _

_ Meghan almost smiled at the irony. _

_ “Just promise not to tell anyone” _

_ The woman nodded before leaving, her son over one shoulder and tugging at her daughter's hand, _

_ “C’mon, Libby” _

_ Libby gave her one final astonished look before leaving. _

_ Hearing a cry for help coming from her left, she raced towards the person. _

_ Luckily, Bruce was already there, trying to help a man whose legs were trapped under a beam. _

_ Meghan stood a few feet away, considering her options. She was pretty sure she could melt it, but she was scared of hurting the man. _

_ “You’re the boss, boss” said the breathless man. _

_ Bruce lifted his gaze, and he quickly scanned Meghan appearance before taking off his shirt. _

_ “Stay away from the fire” he muttered, offering her the piece of clothing. _

_ “But…” _

_ “But nothing! _

_ Three more men arrived, and they didn’t waste any time, grabbing the man by the arms, ready to pull, while the other helped Bruce. _

_ They pulled him out, and Meghan kneeled next to him. _

_ “Oh my god! I can’t feel my leg” the man started to panic. _

_ Gently, Meghan moved the fabric of his pants around the wounds, swallowing the bile upon seeing the damage. _

_ Both legs seemed to be crushed to the bones, and there was a high chance that they were also infected due to the exposure. _

_ She also considered the position in which she found the man, chances were that he had also hurt his spine. _

_ The other three men were trying to console him, telling him that he was going to be fine, but Meghan knew that wasn’t true. If he was lucky, he would never walk again; while the worst case scenario was that he would lose both legs. _

_ Personally, Meghan would prefer to die than face that kind of life, and against common sense, she hoped that her diagnosis was incorrect. _

_ She looked up in time to see Bruce walking towards her with a small girl in his arms. The child was crying, holding onto him with shaky arms and skinny legs. _

_ She knew that kind of sobbing. _

_ Bruce’s dark eyes landed on the man on the floor, before colliding with those of her niece.  _

_ They shared a somber look. _

 

* * *

 

_ “How are you?” asked Natasha, taking a seat next to Meghan. _

_ The girl laid in her king sized bed, a bowl with soup in her hands, and her eyes lost in the past. _

_ Natasha tilted her head to the left, watching her with an expression close to pity. Her pale hand rose, and her deadly fingers catched a rebel curl of Meghan’s hair; she twisted it a few times before placing it behind her ear. _

_ “Make sure that little girl finds a good home soon” muttered Meghan, staring at her soup. _

_ “Of course” agreed Natasha, dropping her hand. _

_ They remained in silence for the next couple of minutes.  _

_ Out of the corner of her eye, the redhead saw Alfred standing in the doorstep. She stood up. _

_ “I’ll be right back” informed the assassin. _

_ Just before she closed the door, she heard Meghan calling out for her. She halted mid-step and turned around. _

_ “What now?” asked the brunette, making eye contact for the first time in almost twenty-four hours. _

_ Natasha shrugged. _

_ “The world keeps moves on, like always” _

_ Meghan seemed to ponder on those words for a few seconds before making another question: _

_ “What about me?” _

_ Natasha gave her a sad smile. _

_ “You’ll have to move on as well, honey” her voice sounded sweet and warm, with the intention of transmitting comfort and the feeling of saftiness. _

_ “How?”  _

_ At that very moment, seeing her desperate eyes, Natasha vowed to shield her from the pain of life. _

_ “That’s for you to figure out” _

 

 

* * *

 

**Present day.**

 

 

The next day, Dave stopped her in the corridor.

He was tall, pure muscle, with brown hair, green eyes and a dimpled smile.

“Hey” greeted Meghan, trying not to sound too tired.

Her dreams were plagued by nightmares. First they had been about Charles, the disgusting man was laughing as he cut her over and over. Then, she was stood once again in  _ that  _ building, with  _ her  _ baseball bat in hand, and watched with horror Tony’s disfigured dead body laying on the floor, only to realize that she had done that.

The previous night she had been able to get two hours of sleep before giving up, deciding that whatever it was on tv was better than going back to sleep.

“Krista told me you’re coming to the party” he smiled, taking out a small black box out of his backpack.

Meghan nodded, watching the box with growing interest.

“Did she also tell you that we’re playing…”

“She did”

His smile grew.

“Great! I’m going to need your name for the sorting”

Cutting a small piece of paper of the first page of her book, she accepted the pen Dave offered her.

She quickly wrote her name, and took one from the box before putting hers.

Dave closed said box before putting it back in the backpack over his shoulder.

“You have the address?”

When she nodded, he smiled, taking a green invitation out of his pocket and handling it to the girl.

“Don’t forget this. And the party starts at nine”

A few guys from the football team called out Dave’s name, and he responded with a wave. Starting to walk in their direction, he gave her one last smile over his shoulder.

“See ya’ “

Meghan answered with a simple “Sure.” before going to her first class.

 

* * *

 

She took another test that day. Finances were quite easy, (well, everything was easy for the Starks) and she soon found herself looking out the window. 

It was raining again, but Meghan found comfort in the fact that it hadn’t snowed so far.

A few rows ahead of her, she noticed Krista was having some difficulty with the test. Meghan felt the temptation of sending a text and giving her the answer to the questions, but that would be cheating.

Instead, she took out a sheet of paper and begun to draw. Minutes went by, and before realizing it, she noticed what the sketch was turning out to be.

The teacher announced that it was time to finish, so Meghan took her things and turned over her test before exiting the room, marching towards the library.

She checked her clock. It was almost midday, and her next class was at three.

Not wanting to go back to the manor, she sat in the far corner of the big library and continued with her sketch.

A thunder rumbled, and Meghan smiled softly, finding the sound comforting.

“ One day, Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree ” Meghan nearly yelled upon hearing Krista’s voice. The young woman was leaning over the brunette’s shoulder, observing the sketch with a smile “ ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Which way do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know’ Alice answered. ‘Then’ said the cat ‘,it doesn’t matter’ “

“Don’t do that” sighed Meghan, looking back at her masterpiece.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you” Krista apologized, taking the seat in front of Meghan.

“You didn’t scare me” she lied.

The smile she received told her that Krista didn’t believe her.

_ Damn straight. _

She ignored the uninvited guest.

“Are you a big fan of Lewis Carroll?” she asked.

Krista placed a big book on the table before nodding.

“My mom used to read it to me and my brother all the time when we were little”

“You have a brother?” how she hadn’t known about that sooner? 

Her green-eyed friend seemed amused by the question.

“I do. We’re twins”

“Identical?”

“God, no” she laughed, taking a yellow highlighter.

She looked at the pencil in her hand, debating if it was safe to share something of hers as well.

“My mom used to read me about Darwin” she blurted, feeling her cheeks go red.

Krista gave her an odd look.

“The guy with the theory about the monkeys?”

Meghan wouldn’t have explained it in that way, but at least Krista knew who he was.

“Yes. Neither she nor I believe in that theory; that was a child’s tale in her eyes”

Krista nodded, smiling, accepting the answer.

“Your mom sounds like an interesting woman” she commented lightly, trying to make a conversation.

Meghan swallowed the lump in her throat.

“She was” answered the Stark girl, her voice tense 

Krista froze with her notebook halfway out of her bag.

“I’m so sorry, Meg” she spoke quickly, sincerity filling her sweet voice “I didn’t mean to upset you”

Meghan shrugged, ignoring the tears building up in her eyes and the new nickname Krista had given her.

Krista cleared her throat, uncomfortable.

“How..”

“Who’s Alana Michaels?” she asked instead, giving her sketch the final details.

“She’s in our statistics class. Dark skin, she’s always wearing that red jacket, and the teacher doesn’t like her singing in class.”

“Oh” nodded Meghan, frowning. She didn’t know Alana personally, all she knew was that she liked to sing, and the teacher didn’t appreciate it whenever she would hum in class. Meghan was sure that Alana didn’t do it on purpose.

“Do you know her well?” she asked.

Krista considered her answer before nodding.

“I suppose. My dad likes to go golfing with her dad. Her family comes to dinner sometimes”

“What does she like?”

Krista frowned again, not liking the question.

“Why?”

Meghan signed her sketch, oblivious to the other woman’s sharp tone.

“I got her name on the invisible friend thingy, I don’t know what to get her”

Krista sighed, highlighting a sentence in her book.

“Get her some twizzlers. That will make her happy”

Meghan raised her eyes, admiring the shadow the storm casted over Krista’s face.

“Isn’t that too little?” she asked.

She remembered her birthday present when she was six. It had been a small simple cake her mom had made; things were complicated, and Amanda couldn’t afford a present. Meghan didn’t mind it, she had learned long ago that the present wasn’t important, but she knew there were people who didn’t think the same way.

Krista gave her a small smile.

“We’re college kids, Meg. Most of us barely get to the end of the month. Don’t over do it, or the others will feel bad.”

She nodded quickly. 

“What are you studying?” she asked, pointing towards the book.

“Economy” the smile fell from Krista’s lips. “I did terrible on the test”

Meghan tried to be the positive one.

“You don’t know that. We’re getting the results later today”

Krista gave her a small look before resuming her reading.

“I don’t need to see it to know”

Meghan looked out the window, balancing the pros and cons of lending a hand.

_ You know it’s a terrible idea. _

_ How? _

_ ‘Cause doc told you to stay away. _

_ So? _

_ You really want to put her in danger? _

_ Harley wouldn’t do anything to her. _

_ You don’t know that. _

_ I’ll protect her. _

_ That’s a good one. _

“I...I could help you” she offered, playing with her fingers under the table.

Krista looked at her with hopeful eyes.

“Really?”

Meghan ignored sense, nodding with a tense smile.

“Of course. Want to start right now?”

Krista nodded energetically.

 

 

* * *

 

The big, red twenty-four on Krista’s test made Meghan re-consider tutoring her.

They spent some time in the library, going through all the things that had to be covered before the Christmas break was over before it was time for their economy class.

Krista walked next to her to the class, and took a seat next to Meghan at the back of the classroom.

“You don’t have to sit next to me, you know” said Meghan, while watching Krista wave to some of the friends she was always with. “You can go with them”

“I want to” she smiled at the Stark girl, before the uncertainty began to settle “Unless you..”

“I don’t mind” interrupted Meghan.

Krista smiled before giving her attention to the teacher.

 

* * *

 

The following days, Krista sat next to Meghan during each class. The brunette didn’t mind, Krista’s presence made her aware of the present, it stopped her from thinking about what she had done.

So far, nobody seemed to know that she was a murderer, but she kept on glancing towards the door every ten minutes, praying that a cop wouldn’t enter the room.

Surprisingly, the voice had calmed down. It was still there, but it didn’t speak unless necessary.

“You sure you wanna go to that party?” asked Jason on thursday, while they drank some hot chocolate in the kitchen.

Alfred was outside chopping, and Bruce was in the Wayne building in Central City doing a surprise visit.

Meghan took a sip from her chocolate, face contorting in disgust. She didn’t like hot chocolate, but it was warm.

“You don’t have to go with me. I can drop you off somewhere and we’ll lie to Bruce” she dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand.

“Nah.” answered Jason after considering it for a few seconds “He would know, you would be in some deep shit, and I would be in the deep earth”

She almost smirked, her eyes glued to Krista’s questionnaire. She had made her fill it out to test her knowledge in economy. Her new friend wasn’t stupid, thankfully; she just had some issues mixing up concepts.

Marking the answer as wrong-ish, she looked up.

“He worries too much” groaned Meghan, taking a cookie and submerging the end of it in the liquid. 

“With reason” Jason defended Bruce “Joker is dangerous, Meg; and not knowing what he wants is going to  make things worse.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“And what do you know about the criminal mind?”

“More than you, apparently” he shot back.

“Really? Well, I think he’ll get tired of me. Soon he’ll be off hunting down someone else, or Nat will kill him”

Jason threw his head back in a humorless laugh.

“You have no idea who you’re talking about”

Deciding to ignore him, she let her eyes settle once more on the paper in front of her. She took her red pen and circled a phrase, making a small note underneath it.

“Meg?” called Jason.

She returned her attention to him with exasperation. The look in his eyes was different from the usual mocking one; he was dead serious.

“Be careful, please. If not for you, then for your dad and Bruce”

Silently, she nodded, fearing that it was too late to be cautious.

 

* * *

 

She got a call from her dad, asking if she would go to New York for christmas.

Meghan didn’t want to leave the city, not without Natasha, and the thought of the Joker, or even worse, Harley, following her out of the state made her fear for her family.

“I got tickets for Hamilton” said Tony over the phone on the afternoon of friday.

Meghan put down her black jeans and smiled.

_ Fuck it! I’m going’. _

 

 

* * *

 

 

She gave herself a nod of approval.

_ Damn! I look good _

She had decided that being comfortable was more important than looking good, which is why she was wearing her favorite black leggings (designed by Tony to keep the warmth), a grey sweater with a curse word in french, and her loyal black sneakers. Her hair fell in dark curls till her waist, but there was an immortal hair band on her wrist just in case.

“Please, tell me you’re not wearing that”

Rolling her eyes, she turned around to face Jason.

“What’s wrong with it?” asked Meghan, looking down at her cute outfit.

“It’s a frat party, dummy. Girls don’t dress like that for those, everybody knows it” he talked as if it should be obvious.

“It’s freezing outside. And how does everyone know this rule? Is it written?”

She grabbed her black jacket from the chair and the box with the present from the desk.

“It’s not written, but that’s the way it is” he took the box from her arms and stepped aside to let her pass.

“Says who?” smirked Meghan, checking her pockets one last time.

“It’s one of those rules that people just accepted since the beginning of time...like how human sacrifice is wrong”

Meghan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Alfred, who had heard the last bit of the conversation, snorted while shaking his head.

“You know nothing, Jason Todd”

 

* * *

 

One hour later, Meghan parked her car two blocks from the place where the party was being held.

Looking to her right, she saw a horrified looking Jason.

“The what again?” he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

“Widow strangling. That was done in Fiji. There were also the ‘Leaps of faith’, being buried alive, or the thuggeess in India.”

“Oh, god” 

Meghan watched in silence as her chaperon turned green.

Sighing, she took the box from the back seat and opened the door, throwing him the keys,

“Wait ‘till I tell ya’ about the ‘Weeping boys’ “

She heard him puke.

“You better clean that”

 

* * *

 

Dave greeted her at the door, and of course, he was smiling.

“Hey! Thanks for coming” he eyed Jason for a moment before greeting him “I see you brought a friend”

“Dave, Jason. Douche, Dave” presented Meghan. She gave the host the box with the present “Here. Her name’s on it”

Without waiting for an answer, she invited herself in.

The house was almost full, most of the people there were strangers for Meghan, and the few she knew she had never talked to.

The majority of the girls were wearing very revealing outfits, and the few with more common sense, barely had a long-sleeved shirt.

_ They’ll regret it with the snow storm coming. _

Meghan wasn’t one to judge the way of dressing, but she did judge those who went a little too far in the wrong climate.

Most people gave her odd looks, seeing how covered up she was compared to the rest of them, but Meghan had mastered the art of facade.

She helped herself with a cup of beer and took a seat in one of the couches. It was quite comfortable, and it felt expensive to the touch; she was sure the poor couch would be done by the morning.

Jason didn’t waste anytime, finding a girl within the first five minutes.

She was tall, blonde and dressed up as an elf, but Meghan couldn’t help but notice that her beauty was non-existent compared to Harley.

“Hey!” Jason gave her his cup as he left with the blonde “text me if someone bothers you or if  you want to leave. Don’t go outside without me”

“Sure thing, dad. Wear a condom” she salute him.

He gave her a predatory smirk, waving a small package.

She noticed the cup was filled to the top, and shrugging, she took a big sip.

“Fuck” she muttered, trying to pass down the liquid.

She spent the next few minutes checking her pocket for Krista’s present, and her phone for a message from a certain blonde.

People ignored her, and she ignored them. Everything was working out perfectly.

Taking one last sip from her vodka, she took out her phone and wrote a text:

**‘Merry kriztmas, beautiful’**

The reply arrived almost immediately.

**‘Are you high and didn’t invite me?’**

Smiling like some silly dopey kid, she replied as fast as her fingers let her.

**‘I’m missing you,...and drunk’**

**‘Aw! I miss you 2, muffin! Why don’t you tell me where you are and I’ll pick you up?’**

Her heart was beating so fast Meghan could have sworn it was breaking her sternum. She texted her the address and blocked her phone, smile still present.

“You came” Krista’s excited voice rang in her ears like a sweet.

Meghan looked to her left and saw her approaching. She was wearing a red sweater-dress, with black pantyhose and ankle boots with heels. 

Meghan wasn’t used to seeing her like that. Usually, Krista prefered pastel colors.

The drunk girl took the other’s hand, janking her ‘till she fell on the couch next to her.

“Oops! I didn’t mean to be so brusque”

Krista smiled, dismissing the incident with her hand.

“It’s fine” 

Meghan eyed her from head to toe.

“You look hot”

Krista blushed, and behind her, one of her friends giggled.

“I mean...not hot, that sounds wrong” Meghan apologized “I mean,...you look nice. Not, nice is wrong...You look very pretty”

With a red face, Krista thanked her.

_ The present, dumbass. _

With wide eyes, Meghan searched in her pockets for the piece of paper. She extended it on Krista’s direction.

“Merry christmas”

“My family only celebrates Kwanzaa”

She took the piece of paper. Meghan shrugged.

“Happy Kwanzaa, then.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to get me something” she sounded sincere.

Meghan almost smiled. Krista was so pure, she wanted to hate her.

“I didn’t. I made it”

Krista seemed impressed, and she wasted no time in unfolding her present.

She observed it in silence for almost five minutes. She didn’t flinch nor spoke, and Meghan was getting worried.

“If you don’t like it…”

She was cut mid-sentence when Krista wrapped her delicate arms around her in a tight hug.

Suddenly, Meghan was sober again.

“Thank you” whispered in her ear the girl with light brown locks.

“N-no problem”

Krista dropped her arms and observed her present once more. It was her,...partly. The sketch mixed up the face of the Cheshire cat and hers in a beautiful way. It was made with charcoal, and it was beautifully haunting.

With fake alarm, Krista looked up.

“Oh, Meghan! But I didn’t get you anything!” she dragged the last word while reaching for something on her back. “Guess who’s your invisible friend?”

“Gandalf?”

Krista slapped Meghan’s arm playfully.

“Thanks for the comparison, fool of a took”

Meghan took the book with a small smile on her face. It was an old copy of Tolstoy “War and Peace”. Her smile widened. It was her mother’s favorite.

_ “It’s not given to people to judge what’s right or wrong. People have eternally been mistaken and will be mistaken, and in nothing more than in what they consider right and wrong”  _ cited the voice in her head.

The smile almost dropped from her face. She didn’t want to tell Krista that that was her deceased mother favorite book, it would only ruin the excited look on her face.

“Thank you” said Meghan, looking up “I love it”

Krista seemed excited

“Good! Dave thought you wouldn’t like it”

Meghan raised an eyebrow.

“Dave knew you had to give me something?”

Again, Krista blushed.

“Well,...I may or may not have asked him to give me your name”

Meghan laughed, while Krista’s face kept on reddening.

They spent some time talking with ease. Krista was the kind of person everybody liked, she had a sweet and accessible nature.

Meghan found out that she didn’t like to drink anything that wasn’t water, alcohol included. She wished to be that strong.

Alana Michaels liked her present (the scream was heard all the way to England). Meghan got her a twenty inch box full of twizzlers. Krista narrowed her eyes at her, and Meghan smiled innocently.

After a while, things started to get wild, and it was impossible to hear anything that wasn’t bad music and yells.

Krista motioned Meghan to follow her, and forgetting about Jason, the New Yorker followed her.

The abrupt temperature change made them shudder. It was snowing, and looking up at the sky, Meghan realized that the snowstorm the guy from tv had predicted would ruin the party.

Krista seemed to notice too.

“Maybe I should go” she muttered, looking in the direction of the house.

Meghan assumed that one of her friends drove her to the party.

“I can give you a ride” she offered, getting an amused look in exchange.

“You can’t drive like that” she pointed with her small index finger.

“Fine!” Meghan shot back, placing her hands on her hips. “You drive, then. Keep the car ‘till I’m decent”

Sighing with a soft smile, Krista took Meghan by the arm.

“Very well, señorita. Lead the marcha”

Meghan laughed. Krista frowned.

“What?”

“Camino” corrected the brunette.

“No, it’s marcha. My mom teaches spanish” protested Krista, following Meghan.

“Well, maybe you got it wrong, sciocca ragazza.”

“I feel like that was an insult”

“Even drunk I’m smarter”

They both smiled.

“No surprise there, miss”

Once they were in the comfort of Meghan’s car, Krista turned in her direction.

“Where to?”

“Just drop me in Newtown”

Krista gave her a pretty frown.

“No way. In this weather? I’ll make sure you make it home safely even if it means taking you to bed myself”

Meghan wiggled her eyebrows, and Krista rolled her eyes, trying not to show her embarrassment.

“I’m not tellin’ ya’ where I live”

“Why not?”

“You’re gonna freak out”

“I’m not gonna…” Meghan gave her a look, to which Krista answered by raising her hands in surrender “Fine. You’ll stay at my house.”

 

* * *

 

The ride was quiet, for the most part. 

There were a few streets closed due to repairments, and Krista had to drive a few blocks through The Hill. Meghan tensed, for she remembered Natasha once saying that The Hill was Joker territory.

“Can you drive faster?” she asked, trying not to hyperventilate.

“I’m already over the speed limit” answered Krista, giving her an almost sad look “This neighborhood makes me uncomfortable too”

_ Uncomfortable? Pff, that’s one way to put it. _

They passed near Arkham Asylum, which didn’t make Meghan feel any better.

Not soon enough, Krista drove over the Trigate Bridge, and took the right, driving them to Somerset.

Meghan didn’t know much about that area, except that Arkham was awfully close.

“How far are we?” asked Meghan, looking out the window into the darkness.

“We’re almost there” answered Krista, watching her from the corner of her eye. “Are you feeling sick?”

Meghan shook her head and crossed her legs, trying to hide her nervousness.

Krista took a turn to the left and they arrived to a small street. The houses were few and far in between, but they seemed cozy.

The driver stop the car in front of a beautiful, Queen Anne style house.

“Nice” said Meghan, admiring the architecture, trying to guess for how long the structure had been standing.

“Thanks. It was my grandparent’s. They insisted that my mom kept it, but she hates it”

They got out of the vehicle.

“Too far from the city?” asked Meghan, following the other girl.

“High maintenance.” 

They made sure their shoes didn’t have any mud before going in.

To her right, Meghan saw the living room, and to the left there was the kitchen, where the lights were on.

“Should we say hi?” she asked, taking off her jacket.

Krista took it.

“No. It’s probably my dad working. He doesn’t like being interrupted.”

“Oh! And what does he do?”

They walked up the stairs and Krista lead her to the second door on the right.

“He’s journalist. He works for The Gotham Observer. Mom’s a teacher”

Krista turned on the lights, and Meghan wasted no time in taking in her surroundings.

The room was painted in light pink, and white christmas lights hung from the ceiling, giving the room a very relaxed atmosphere. The bed had a white comforter, and half the bed was buried in pillows. Pictures covered the south wall, and there was a desk right under the window.

There was a One Direction poster on the door. Meghan laughed.

“Really?” 

Krista seemed offended.

“Hey! They’re nice people” she was smiling.

Meghan saw a guitar in the corner, an electric piano, a viola and a violin.

“You play all of these?”

Krista’s green orbs landed on the instruments.

“Yes. I tried the sax, but my lungs betrayed me. My brother plays the flute. You play something?”

“Sax, alto and tenor. My dad taught me the basics of the violin; he likes to play when he’s stressed.”

“Maybe we can play something together” Krista sounded hopeful.

Meghan narrowed her eyes.

“Only if you pass economy with at least a ninety”

The other girl’s eyes almost fell from their sockets; she seemed ready to tell Meghan how crazy she was, but repented at the last minute.

“Deal”

Neither of them were tired, so they decided to watch a movie to pass the time.

Krista gave Meghan a Sponge Bob pijama, and left the room to give her some privacy.

Stepping closer to the window, Meghan watched the city lights in the distance, wondering if Natasha was there, kicking some ass.

Something inside her warned her, as if something bad was about to happen. Frowning, she pulled at the curtains, blocking the view from the outside.

Krista returned with two glasses of water and some popcorn. She let Meghan borrow her charger (the Stark phone had died soon after they left the party) and proceed to make themselves comfortable.

The green eyed girl hit the play button, Meghan pulled at the blankets, and...they were asleep before the opening credits finished playing.

 

The next day, Meghan woke up hoping for Joker to kill her at once. Her head was killing her, and her stomach seemed angry.

I should’ve eaten something before the party.

She felt something pressed up against her back, and slowly cranked her neck to see Krista starting to wake up. Her face was laying between Meghan shoulder blades, and she seemed to be one of those whom slept with their hands against their chests.

She sat up gently and groaned. A giggle was her response.

“Feeling good?” asked Krista, yawning.

Meghan rolled her eyes and looked to her left, where her now charged phone laid on the nightstand. 

There was a picture next to the phone, of Krista, her parents and…

“Oh crap! Dave’s your brother?”

“Yup” answered the green-eyed girl, hiding her amusement “He’s a shame to everyone in this family”

“Krista Mary Adams!” a woman scolded from the doorstep. She was chubby, with blonde hair and green eyes “Be nice to your brother”

“Sorry, mom”

Meghan sat there, uncomfortable and unsure about what to do. She had never met the woman and there she was, sleeping under her roof.

Her worries were wiped away however, when Krista’s mother gave her a warm smile.

“You must be Meghan. It’s so nice to meet you” she crossed the room in a few stries and enveloped the girl in a bear hug “My Mary’s always talking about you! We thought we would never meet you. Harold!” she yelled towards the door, getting a small grunt as response “I win! She’s not a ghost! You owe me fifty!

Krista seemed to be ready to run and never look back, and Meghan didn’t know if to laugh or hide.

A man stepped into the room. He was tall and had light brown skin and hair like his daughter. He was well preserved.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Meghan is a real person after all”

“DAD!”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Adams. I’m so sorry for not letting you know I was going to spend the night…”

“Oh, hush! Don’t you worry dear” the woman reassured her “And just call us Caroline and Harold. Are you hungry? You must be, so skinny. Do you like eggs?”

“If…”Meghan felt a little overwhelmed, she wasn’t used to these kind of people,...nice and welcoming.

“She loves a heavy breakfast, mom” spoke Krista, smiling as if she were Lucifer.

Caroline seemed ecstatic.

“Good! We’ll let you to get ready” before she disappeared down the stairs, she asked “Do you know where your brother is, dear? I don’t remember with which of his stupid friends he was staying!

Krista thought for a few seconds.

“Matt or Jeremy”

“Thank you, dear”

Meghan turned towards her friend with a smirk on her face.

“I’m sorry about them” Krista apologized.

“Don’t worry,...Mary”

Krista narrowed her eyes.

“Enjoy your breakfast”

_ Ha ha! She got you there. _

It didn’t took long for Meghan to realize where Krista got her cute personality from. Her parents were charming and kind. Also, they talked a lot.

Caroline agreed with Meghan on Krista’s small error with spanish, and she seemed fascinated to learn that Meghan could talk seven languages.

“I’m not surprised” snorted Krista, helping herself with a glass of juice.

Harold gave Meghan an impressed look over his book.

“Spanish and…?” asked Caroline, watching her intently, as if she had never heard of such ability.

“Spanish, Italian, Ancient greek, Swedish, Romanian, Danish, and Arabic; although I’m very bad at spelling the last one.”

“Can someone speak ancient greek? Isn’t it dead?”  asked Krista, taking a bite of toast.

“There was some people who reconstructed it” answered Harold, the ever patient.

“When?”

“A long time ago”

“Well, shit”

“Krista!” scolded Caroline.

“Sorry” 

Meghan gave her an amused look, deciding to act before Caroline kept on asking about languages.

“I’m sorry, but what did you mean when you said that I wasn’t a ghost?”

Krista almost buried her face in the cereal, Harold chuckled, and Caroline smiled.

“Oh! Well, Krista here is always talking about you. She was driving us cray cray”

_ Did she just say…’Cray cray’? Oh, god! This is gold! _

Before she could reply, the images on the tv caught her eye.

“Sir, could you turn on the volume?”

Harold did as she asked, and the four watched in growing horror as the reporter informed the citizens of Gotham of the attack that had taken place the previous night in a frat party. The very same one Meghan and Krista had gone to.

Meghan took the phone out of her pocket and pressed the ‘On’ button. Almost immediately, messages and missing calls began to appear on screen. 

There were over forty missing calls from Tony, almost thirty from Bruce and Alfred, ten from Pepper, and two from Jason, with a few texts from those persons asking where she was.

 

 

 

Meghan barely noticed those, as her brain seemed to only take in one message:

 

**Where r u, muffin?**

She got up abruptly, as if she had received an electric shock. 

Caroline was on the phone, calling Dave.

“I-I’m sorry. I have to go” muttered Meghan, tripping with the chair.

Krista gave her a serious look before nodding.

“You should”

Meghan turned, but Krista’s hand on her stopped her.

She was looking at her, her green orbs missing their characteristic happiness.

“Be careful” she placed Meghan’s keys in her hand.

She stormed out of the house, not hearing the reporter announcing the death of a young man.

* * *

 

Meghan almost died twice on her way to Wayne Manor.

She was so nervous she forgot of the existence of Mooney Bridge, which would had allowed her to arrive sooner.

Instead, she drove as fast as she could back through the Trigate Bridge, Burnley and Newtown. She didn’t know how many red lights she missed, but she was lucky enough to not have killed anybody.

The memorial bridge came to an end, and taking left, the Wayne Manor came in sight, big and dark.

The poor guard at the gates barely had enough time to open them.

Jumping out of the car, Meghan raced towards the entrance.

She pushed the doors open and froze.

Alfred looked terrible, his prolix hair was a mess, and there was a coffee stain on his white shirt. 

He sighed in relief upon seeing her.

“Miss Meghan! Thank God!” he rushed towards her, embracing her.

Meghan stood there, perplexed, for Alfred had never hugged her.

“We thought he had you” the butler lamented.

“I’m so sorry!” she apologized, feeling how the guilt ate her from inside out “I spent the night at a friend’s house”

Alfred nodded, smoothing her clothes.

“Well, you’re here now. Your father and uncle are extremely worried about you. Mr. Stark will be here in two hours.”

_ Shit! The big boss is coming. You’re in some deep shit, miss. _

“Where’s uncle Bruce? And Jason?” she looked around, but saw no sign of either of them.

The doors were slammed open, and Meghan turned, startled.

Her heart almost stopped at the sight.

Bruce was dressed as the Bat, only half of his mask covering his face.

But the worst part, was that in his arms there was a boy, dressed in a mixture of copper and black. Blood covered his body, there was something written on his chest, and his dead blue eyes were staring back at her.

“Jason?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!  
> What did you guys think? Did you like it? Hate it?  
> I wanted to post the chapter yesterday, but I went to watch Wonder Woman instead, and I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVED THAT MOVIE!  
> Ok,ok...I’m calm.  
> Hope you like Lex Luthor, ‘cause he and Meghan are going to exchange words he next chapter. And I promise more Harley on the next one! Don’t hate me.  
> Anyways! Tell me what you think, what you like, what you don’t like, and what you think could be better.  
> Go read the Prologue, people, and re-read chapter 1 and 2, there are new scenes on those.
> 
> *Is said that Troy fell on the 24th of April, however, I once read an article about two mathematicians who calculated the date, leading to the 16th (based on an eclipse). 
> 
>  
> 
> Have a nice day :D


	7. Oh! Harley!

 

 Meghan felt terrible. 

She didn’t know what lie uncle Bruce told the Todds, she just knew she didn’t really care.

Tony would arrive within the hour, and she wasn’t sure if telling the truth was wise.

She threw a glance in Bruce’s direction; his expression was somber (even more so than usual) as he looked at the inscription on Jason’s suit.

‘Joke’s on you’

They watched in silence, letting the events sink in.

Meghan tilted her head to the side, observing Jason dead body with interest.

His cheeks lacked any color, his eyes didn’t shine, and his body laid completely still.

It was a marvelous thing, death; thought Meghan. One second you were going on about your daily life, and the next, the body shut down.

It was marvelous  _ and  _ cruel, for we spent years building character from experiences, making memories and bonding with others, only to cease existence. By dying, we provoked pain and suffering to our loved ones, and as they came to terms with mortality, Pluto would lay claim on them, provoking more suffering on others, and losing memories; and so on and on life went, in an never ending circle of torture and lost experiences, until the day the universe itself would cease its existence.

Meghan thought it beautifully ruthless and unfair to her convenience.

There was nothing left from Jason’s point of view, and for a few more decades, his memories would live in others minds, until one day, in the not so far future, there would be nothing left of Jason Todd, except a few bones and his unimportant name on a grave.

She watched him more closely, fascinated by his lack of response.

After a while, Alfred closed his eyes and suggested that it was time to get him ready for the funeral.

Meghan couldn’t wait to be out of Gotham, but figuring that not attending to the funeral would be rude, she climbed up the stairs and went to her room, disposed to choose a dress.

* * *

 

She didn’t remember anything from the funeral. 

Everybody was wearing black, and most people were crying.

Bruce gave a speech, but Meghan didn’t hear it.

Tony sat next to her, holding her delicate hand in a tight grip, as if he were scared for her life.

She shed a few fake tears in the right moments, and nobody noticed it.

Her mind was traveling at the speed of light.

It could have been her.

How could she have been so stupid?

She shouldn’t drink anymore.

Even though she knew she had no right to feel betrayed, she couldn’t help it. It was clear for her that Harley’s reason for talking to her were suspicious, after all, her crazy-ass boyfriend had some sort of senseless vendetta against her, and still, she could feel the rage building up, consuming her like fire, deadlier than poison, blinding as the sun. 

How dare she?

_ Don’t act so surprised, you knew she had a secret agenda. _

It was right. That stupid voice always seemed to be right

_ At least I’m still  breathing. _

_ And what about him? _

Meghan stood up from her seat, never taking her eyes off Jason’s descending coffin.

_ What about him? _

_ Don’t you wish you could go back in time and save him? _

_ Not at my expense. _

* * *

 

Bruce didn’t seem to blame her, which was good.

He and Meghan didn’t exchange words, but it wasn’t necessary.

He gave her a look, and Meghan nodded.

She knew she couldn’t tell anyone about what she had seen.

* * *

 

“Did you enjoy it?” asked Tony, looking at her with a nervous smile.

For the past few days, Meghan had been awfully quiet. She hadn’t made any sarcastic remarks, and she hadn’t tried to prank her father.

She didn’t take her eyes off the Theater District as she answered:

“It was wonderful, dad. Thank you”

Pepper smiled, placing a hand over her round belly.

Meghan had barely been able to look at her stepmother since she had arrived. Every time her brown eyes fell upon her growing belly, jealousy would arise within her. For one moment, an awful thought crossed her mind.

And just as the thought made appearance once more, Pepper groaned, bending over her seat.

Tony and Meghan (whom were sitting across from the ginger woman) turned their eyes in her direction, worry painted over their similar features.

“John!” yelled Tony to the driver “Take us to the hospital! Quick!”

* * *

 

Meghan knew something was wrong with her, she always had, and having to pretend to be worried about Pepper only confirmed it.

She did care about her stepmother. Pepper had never lost her patience with Meghan, and she had treated her with kindness since the first day; but she didn’t care about the baby she just lost.

Her little brother.

Meghan suppressed the relieved sigh that threatened to make its way out of her body, and instead, she walked towards her father. 

Tony was having a much normal reaction. Tears fell down his face, and his erratic breath indicated her how he was trying to keep it all under control.

Meghan put her arms around him, holding him tight, and he crumpled, sobbing like a child.

He hadn’t felt so broken in almost four years, when he found out about Amanda’s death and of the dreadful life his daughter had endured.

Meghan held him, knowing that there were no words to comfort him. She put on her best sad expression, and forced a few tears to fall out of her eyes, just like she had done in Jason’s funeral.

Truth was, she didn’t understand. They hadn’t even met the baby. Did Tony knew that it wasn’t even considered a person until after the birth? Why all the fuss? 

_ I’m losing you. _

* * *

 

Christmas’s eve was spent in the hospital.

Meghan managed to smuggle in a chocolate cake, knowing those always cheered Pepper up.

This time it didn’t.

Pepper fell asleep around nine, leaving Tony and Meghan sunken in an uncomfortable silence, both pretending to watch a christmas movie.

“Meg?”

She gave her father a sideways glance to let him know she was listening.

“I’ve been thinking…”

“Well, that can’t be good”

He ignored her comment.

“Are you sure is wise to go back to Gotham?”

She sighed, not surprised with the question. She knew he would want to have that talk.

“I’m not dropping out” she said, trying not to roll her eyes at the scene playing out on the screen.

“I’m not telling you to drop out” he said quietly, looking at her closely.

“You want me to go somewhere else” she didn’t need to make the question, it was pretty obvious.

“We could arrange that, but no. I think,...it would be better for you to take the semester to…”

“Hide? No, thanks. Just ‘cause a kid got killed,...”

“That kid could have been you” his voice was hard, and Meghan turned to look at him with wide eyes. He had never used that voice with her “If you’re not going to worry about your safety, then I will. That psychopath was after you”

“You don’t know that” 

“He was looking for you the first time”

“And there was no way he could have known where I would be that night” she lied smoothly “Besides, if he had known where I would be, and he wanted only me, he could have just taken me on the way to the party. It would have been smoother”

Tony studied her face for a few seconds.

“Maybe, but there’s no way for us to know that”

“Exactly” she saw an opening and took it “So what? Should we spend the rest of our lives fearing he will come after me? It doesn’t matter if I’m in Gotham, here, or in Egypt. If he really wanted me, he would have gotten me by now.”

It wasn’t the brightest idea, Meghan knew it, but she hoped that the recent events had drained her father enough for him to not put up a fight.

Meghan herself wasn’t sure why she would argue against him, she knew he was right; she was safer in New York, and Gotham was far from being her favourite place on earth, but some rebellious part of her didn’t want to run away from a crazy guy with green hair.

She sighed, leaning over the hospital bed and taking Tony’s cold hand in hers.

“I can take the semester off if you want, but I have friends in Gotham, and I don’t really want to leave them”

That wasn’t a complete lie. She  _ did  _ have friends, one was missing looking for a clown and the other was too nice for her own good.

“Besides, Bruce offered me a job on Wayne Tower. I’m probably gonna be spending a lot of time running after him with his coffee, but I have to start somewhere”

_ Now, that’s a lie. _

Tony sighed, and Meghan felt bad for manipulating him. He knew she hadn’t made any friends during high school; all the kids had chosen to stay away from her, and those who hadn’t, only spoke to her to get on her nerves. Hearing that she finally had at least one friend who wasn’t an Russian assassin was a relief.

“Fine” he sighed again “But you’ll go from Wayne Tower and back to the manor; don’t you dare to go around that city unprotected, young lady”

Meghan smiled, triumphant.

“Sure. I’ll let Krista know that we’ll be studying on the manor, then”

Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Who’s Krista?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“A friend” Meghan answered slowly, not understanding his defensive tone “I promised to help her with a few classes ‘cause she sucks”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

“And are you and this Krista close?” he wondered, protective of his little girl.

“Um,..I don’t know”

“Well, you better tell her that if she hurts you,...”

“For fuck sake! Dad!” her cheeks turned red “It’s not like that”

_ He doesn’t know, does he? _

“Fine” Tony lifted his palms in surrender, only to snort a few seconds later “What kind of name is Krista?”

Meghan rolled her eyes, unlocking her phone.

**_‘Merry christmas, Muffin! Hope 2 see u soon’_ **

* * *

 

New year’s eve was meant to be boring for the Starks.

Pepper had gone to bed early again, and Meghan had rolled her eyes. The woman had exaggerated. She could have another child, it wasn’t such a big deal.

Tony had followed soon after, leaving Meghan alone in the living room, feeling offended and hurt. Did Tony care more about Pepper than her?

A small part of her knew she was being a brat, but she had barely seen him in the past few months.

So, in order to take her mind out of the dark places it was going to, she decided to take a walk.

She grabbed her phone, a wallet and put on an old hoodie (over three sweaters). She left a small note for Tony on the fridge and left the Stark Tower.

A few hours later, Meghan hadn’t stopped walking. She didn’t listen to her tired feet, and instead, she focused on the people around her in Time’s Square.

Oh! What she would give to be like them! Average intelligence and mundane problems.

Around her, people were running, jumping, laughing and yelling, plastic glasses with the number ‘2016’ in their faces.

Snow fell gently over the city, and the lights shone so bright that, if it weren’t for the barely visible dark sky, Meghan would have thought it was midday.

A group of friends ran past her, and one of the guys accidently shoved her. He turned and gave her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry” he said, to which Meghan answered with a small smile.

The city unending energy used to be contagious, and it used to make Meghan feel better, it made her happy.

Now, she didn’t know what to feel.

Where was Natasha? Was she even alive? She had to be, she was Natalia Romanova.

What did Joker want from her? And why? And Harley? Why had she betrayed her like that?

Meghan sighed, feeling stupid. Of course Harley couldn’t be trusted.

Meghan stopped in the middle of a step and closed her eyes, erasing all from her mind. For one day, she didn’t want to worry, she just wanted to be a normal person, with normal problems.

She focused on the feeling of the snow gracing her face, of the excited people around her, and the music blasting throughout the streets.

She smiled softly, starting to feel at peace.

Faintly, she could hear the countdown.

She shivered against the cold, but her smile widened.

All of the sudden, she was only aware of the sound of fireworks welcoming the new year, and a soft pair of lips on hers.

She frowned, and when a pair of hands grabbed at her waist, she opened her eyes and took a step back.

“What the hell, dude?” she yelled.

Her eyes grew so much they almost fell out.

Harley smirked, only to pout right after. She put her hands on her hips.

“Oh, Muffin! Don’t be like that!” She pointed towards the guy Meghan had collided with earlier, who was staring at them with his jaw grazing the floor. “I had to get to you before that one. You know I don’t like sharing”

Meghan stared at her, disbelieving. 

_ Well, I didn’t expect this to happen. _

“Shut up”

“Don’t be such a bore, Muffin”

In the blink of an eye, her vision went red, and she had to focus to not lose control.

“You” she pointed at Harley, who was still smiling “What are you doing here?”

Harley could hear the hostility on the brunette’s voice.

“I’ve missed you, so I decided to visit” she answered, as if she were talking about the weather.

“You,...”

_ Calm down, Hulk. You don’t wanna make a scene. _

Meghan closed her eyes, finding it easier to control her temper if she wasn’t looking at her.

“You missed me?”

Harley nodded, only to realize Meghan couldn’t see her.

“Of course I did. You’re fun”

Meghan allowed a bitter laugh to escape her.

“You missed me?” she repeated, still not looking “Is that why you send your psycho boyfriend to kill me?”

“I didn’t do it, Meg” lied Harley.

The blonde had told Mr. J where to find the Stark girl, but she hadn’t wanted to. She just wanted to be on her puddin’s good graces again, and when her phone kept on ringing he had asked who it was, and she had no option but to tell him she had found her.

He seemed pleased with her, until they crashed the party, only to find out she wasn’t there.

A small part of Harley was relieved that Muffin had been long gone when they arrived, but the other part was jealous, for she knew where she had spent the night.

“Yeah, right”

Harley tilted her head, thinking.

“If it’s of any help, I’m sorry about what happened” this time, she was sincere.

Meghan opened her eyes, studying the woman carefully. Her dark eyes studied her body from head to toe. Harley knew what she was doing

“I mean it, Muffin” Harley took a calculated step towards the shorter woman “I enjoyed killing that guy, but I’m sorry you were in danger”

She wasn’t lying. She didn’t want to hurt Meghan,...for now. She was an intriguing girl with a dark past who reminded Harley of doctor Quinzel. She decided to try to understand her first, and hand her to Mr. J later, which was why she had left him, staying with Ivy for the time being.

Besides, she wanted to see how long it would take for Mr. J to notice her absence.

Meghan sighed, distrust still covering her features, and raised her hand, caressing Harley’s face, from temple to jaw.

Harley hid her surprise. The night Muffin had killed that man, her touch had been almost animalistic, (not that she had cared) while in that moment it was so gentle it felt foreign to the psychiatrist.

“Who did this?” asked Meghan, her eyes glued to Harley’s bruised eye and the cut on her cheek.

“Puddin loves me” the blonde defended him, convinced of her words.

Meghan sighed. It was sad. How could she hate such pitiful creature?

“That’s not what I asked” she took a lock of platinum hair and placed it behind Harley’s ear. Her thumb traced the border of the bruise “Does it hurt?”

Harley shook her head.

Meghan dropped her hand and looked around. People didn’t notice them.

“Wanna go drink something?”

* * *

 

“How did you find this place?” asked Harley, looking around the small café.

It was small and cozy, with its wooden tables and unmatching chairs. There weren’t many people there, and Harley guessed that it wasn’t unusual, after all, the place was well hidden.

Meghan shrugged, trying to absorb the heat coming from her tea mug.

“I was walking around after class one day”

Some girls at school had hit a sensitive spot, and Meghan didn’t want to arrive home with red eyes and tears on her face, so she had decided to walk until she felt better. She almost missed the cute shop, and after the first visit, she had made sure to return almost every day.

“Do you bring all your girls here?” asked Harley, drinking from her espresso “Or am I special?”

She was smirking again. Meghan felt the heat rising on her face.

“I never had the chance to bring anyone here” she said, dismissing it with a wave of her hand.

Harley’s blue eyes sparkled.

“So  _ I am  _ special! Aw!” she leaned over the booth and kissed Meghan’s cheek.

The younger woman frowned.

“Don’t do that” she said, taking off her scarf.

“Do what?”

“Kiss me”

“Ow! Why not?” Harley gave her the puppy eyes”You’re very kissable, Muffin”

_ Don’t buy it. _

“I don’t want you to”

Harley raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

“Liar”

“Besides, you’re not my friend or anything”

The devilish smile she received scared the waitress (who was coming their way to check everything was fine) away.

Harley looked down at her espresso and toyed with the small cup, while her leg caressed Meghan’s.

“We could be more than friends, Muffin. That sounds hella better, don’t ya’ think?”

With her face almost exploding, Meghan tried to make herself small, moving until her legs were underneath her, just to keep them out of Harley’s reach.

The blonde wasn’t having any of it, and without losing the dangerous smile, she got up and sat next to Meghan, cornering against the wall behind her.

“You wound me, Muffin. I promise I don’t have the plague.”

She didn’t look her in the eye, not even when she heard her sigh.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You try to stay away from me. I thought I liked you”

Meghan looked at her properly for the first time in the night.

For once, Harley was covering skin. She was dressed in black, and even though she wasn’t wearing as many clothes as Meghan, she didn’t seem to be cold. Her pretty hair fell around her shoulders, and if it weren’t for the tattoos on her face, she could have passed for a good girl.

Her blue eyes seemed to be fighting, insanity was trying to take over her mind, and Meghan was fascinated the show they offered.

“You scare me” Meghan confessed, to which Harley frowned.

“Clever girl” she said. She motioned to the waitress for a refill and turned towards Meghan again “I guess that won’t change”

They remained silent while the waitress brought Harley another espresso.

The blonde took one of Meghan’s curl and started to play with it

“Um,..Excuse me?”

Both women looked up at the waitress. She must have been of the same age as Meghan, with pale skin, brown hair and blue eyes. She was quite tall, but her features gave her age away.

“Yes?” Meghan encouraged her with a kind smile.

“I’m sorry,...I’m probably mistaken but,...are you two a couple?”

Meghan frowned, only then noticing how close she and Harley were. She hadn’t realized that the blonde had swung her arm around Meghan’s shoulder, nor that their knees were touching.

She opened her mouth to deny the question, but Harley beat her to it.

“Yes” she answered, giving the girl a defiant look “Why?”

“Harley” Meghan tried to appease her. She was overreacting, the girl was just curious.

The waitress frowned, disgust covering her features.

“And you don’t find it disgusting?”

Meghan’s eyes moved to the girl, only to drop her gaze in shame. That was what she feared the most.

“Hey” a middle aged man sitting a few feet away from them interrupted them “That’s rude.”

Before the waitress could answer, Harley stood up slowly. Her eyes were cold as ice, and she was gripping the table with such strength Meghan heard the wood cracking.

“You made Muffin feel bad, sweetie” she spat between gritted teeth.

_ Well, shit. _

* * *

 

They got kicked out of the café, not because of the nature of their relationship, but because Harley had attacked the waitress.

“Disgusting homophobes!” had yelled Harley as the cook pushed her out “Shame on you!”

Meghan followed after her.

“I’m so sorry” she apologized to the cook.

Harley took her hand and janked her down the street, muttering under her breath.

Meghan looked around, making sure the people walking around weren’t paying any attention. How would have they reacted if they had heard Harley back in that café? Would they have been on their side?

_ Why do I care?. People will always find a reason to not like each other. _

“It’s late” said Meghan, checking the time on her wrist-watch.

Harley stopped dead in her tracks.

“Sorry. What?”

Meghan showed her the time.

“Oh! You tired, Muffin?” 

Meghan nodded, although she really wasn’t. That waitress comment had hit her hard, and she just wanted to go home and cry herself to sleep.

“Do you have a place to stay?” she asked, placing her hands in her pockets.

Harley tilted her head.

“Don’t worry about it, Muffin”

Meghan took that as a ‘No’, and this time, she guided Harley through the streets for the most part of half an hour.

They arrived to a tall building, and Meghan led her up the stairs towards the fourth floor.

“Why are you so quiet?” asked Meghan, unlocking a door.

“I’m thinking”

This time, the brunette smirked.

“Oh, dear” she entered the small apartment and turned on the light “Thinking about what?”

“Ways to kill that waitress. What do you think about skinning her alive?”

Meghan sighed, pulling the hoodie over her head.

“Forget about her, Harley, please”

“But she messed with you”

It was almost endearing, how quickly Harley could built a sense of loyalty towards someone.

“Nobody comes here except me” Meghan informed her, changing the subject “Make yourself at home. See ya’ “

She tried to leave the apartment, but Harley stood in her way, arms crossed and lips in a thin line.

“You’re gonna leave me, Muffin? I thought we were going to have a sleep-over. I want to paint your nails and braid your hair”

“I-I…”

Meghan coughed, trying to find a reason to leave.

“C’mon! I’ll behave, pinky promise”

She held out her finger, and Meghan observed it suspiciously, as if said finger could turn into a weapon any second.

“Fine”

They intertwined their fingers, and Harley wasted no time, pulling her close and placing a kiss on the tip of her nose.

“Goody” she laughed, taking in what was around her “You have clothes you can land me? Not that I care about wearing them” 

Meghan had the feeling that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

 

It wasn’t so long, after all.

Meghan gave Harley some clothes, and the blonde fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Meghan considered getting up and leaving, but she was warm, and Harley might get angry if she woke up alone.

She looked at her companion, whom laid on her side, facing her. 

Harley looked peaceful in her sleep. Her features were delicate, and her hair fell over her face. She snored a little, and the tip of her thumb touched her lips. One of her arms rested underneath her head, and she sighed happily.

Meghan wondered what she was dreaming about.

Slowly, Meghan moved until her back was facing the blonde woman.

All kinds of thoughts invaded her mind.

Why had that waitress been so cruel to them? Didn’t she know they had feelings too? For years, Meghan had been trying to gather the courage to tell her father about her preferences, but every time she thought herself ready, she would hear someone making a mean comment, and she would be back to square one.

How was it so easy for Harley to be who she was? Besides the fact that she was nuts, obviously.

Oh, how she wanted to drop her act. Over the years, it had become quite painful and draining, knowing she would never be what society deemed as ‘normal’.

Her father wouldn’t care, she was quite sure about that. But what about the rest of her secrets? Maybe letting one out would be the trigger for the others, and there were things she rather leave in the dark.

It hurt so much, not being able to show herself as she was. How did other people do it? They were so brave, and Meghan such a coward.

She hated it.

She also hated Harley’s insanity. Maybe, if she were still sane, they could have something good and healthy.

Meghan felt her eyes filling up with tears, she closed them as a sob made its way up her body.

An image assaulted her. She and Harley, hand in hand, walking on a beach. The cold water hitting against their legs as they laughed together. Harley put her arm around Meghan’s tiny shoulders and brought her closer, whispering something in her ear. Meghan giggle, placing her arms around the blonde’s waist. Around them, people gave them all kinds of looks, but neither cared. Meghan took in the image. Harley didn’t have any tattoos on her face, her hair was of a darker shade, and her skin had a pretty tan. Harley saw her staring and smiled warmly, nuzzling their noses, and earning another giggle.

Meghan opened her eyes, and she was back in her room, still scared of people’s words.

She was desperate to be herself, but did that mean that she would become dangerous? She saw a glimpse of another side of her, one she didn’t know she had, and it had scared her. Was that the real her?

She cried harder. She wanted to be good, but it was so hard.

A strong pair of arms surrounded her body, and a chest pressed up against her back.

“Shh” hushed Harley, intertwining their legs.

She let her cry until she fell asleep.

* * *

 

Meghan woke up early.

She looked at her watch, groaning upon realizing she had only had three hours of sleep.

Laying on her stomach, she felt the weight of Harley on her back. Slowly, she moved a little, to find out that the blonde was using her shoulder blade as a pillow.

Meghan closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The second time she woke up, Meghan whimpered.

She frowned. What was happening?

Soft lips explored her slightly tanned neck, a hand played with her curls, and the other ventured under her pants, teasing her, barely brushing against Meghan’s covered center.

Still half asleep, Meghan inhaled, surprised. She didn’t know  something could feel so frustrating yet satisfying.

Something wet pooled between her legs.

Harley smirked.

“Mornin’, Muffin” she purred.

One of Harley’s long fingers toyed with the hem of Meghan’s panties, only to slide underneath it after a few seconds. 

The blonde applied some steady pressure to her clit, and Meghan’s hip shot upwards, trying to get more.

“So impatient” chuckled Harley.

“Shut up”

Harley climbed on top of her, and their lips met.

Now fully awake, Meghan took Harley’s pretty face in her hands. Their tonges danced in a batlle for dominance, and Meghan was losing fast.

So much for behaving.

The brunette’s hands wandered over Harley’s body

Harley’s finger slid through her folds before inserting a single digit.

“Oh!” the feeling of something inside of her surprised her, but what surprised her the most was discovering that she enjoyed it.

Harley’s lips traveled south, and her free hand slid down Meghan’s sweater, exposing her braless breast to the cold air.

Meghan felt her cheeks turning red, but she didn’t try to cover herself.

Harley took a nipple in her mouth and Meghan’s back arched.

The blonde slid a second finger inside of her, while her thumb took good care of Meghan’s bundle of nerves.

She shamelessly opened her legs for the blonde, who smiled while biting Meghan’s nipple. Her free hand took care of the other breast, squeezing and toying with the nipple with a little too much strength.

Meghan moaned rather loudly, and Harley smirk grew.

“Muffin” she purred, while her fingers kept on working their magic “You’re sooo w…”

“Don’t you dare” breathed Meghan, looking up at her, her dark eyes full of lust “say it”

“...Wet” finished Harley, giggling.

Meghan tried to think of a smart response, but Harley buried her fingers deep inside of her, and all thought disappeared from her mind.

She had long forgotten about the cold morning air, now considering the room to be too hot.

She pulled at Harley’s hair, gaining her attention, and sealed their lips together in a heated kiss. Meghan’s hands wandered down the blonde’s perfect body, feeling every inch, trying to memorize the feel of the curves underneath her hands, and the weight of her athletic body on top of hers. Her hands grabbed at Harley’s round ass and she pulled her up, earning a small moan.

Meghan’s lips descended, exploring Harley’s jaw, only to proceed with her neck.

Harley separated her legs, placing each to the side of Meghan’s. Slowly, the psychiatrist rocked her hips against the brunette’s thigh. Meghan’s hand slid under Harley’s shirt, and she shivered as her delicate hand explored her albine skin, slowly venturing up. Meghan’s hand slid to the side, avoiding her breasts, and Harley groaned.

“Not fair”

Smirking, Meghan pulled her closer until every inch of them was touching, and they didn’t know where one started or the other ended.

Meghan lifted up Harley’s shirt, and the blonde sat so she could get rid of it. Immediately, she leaned over again, craving Meghan’s touch.

Meghan whimpered pathetically, while Harley kissed her way south. She sighed, closing her eyes as the blonde placed soft kisses over her stomach.

“Oh! Harley!” she breathed out, feeling her tongue on her clit, sucking gently.

She wasn’t expecting that.

Everything was too overwhelming. The feeling of what Harley was doing to her, how good it felt, and how, no matter how hard she tried, couldn’t remember her own name.

Harley lifted her legs over her shoulders and sucked harder. Meghan’s eyes rolled back, and her hips shot upwards.

The blonde inserted her tongue, and her free hand began to play with her clit mercilessly.

Meghan felt the fire inside of her growing more and more, until it was almost too much.

“Cum for me, Muffin” purred Harley, watching her with intense blue eyes.

Her back arched, and an intense wave of pleasure shook her body from head to toe.

“Good girl”

Covered in sweat, Meghan popped herself up on her elbows in time to see Harley on her knees, licking her fingers like she had just tasted the Gods nectar.

“You’re as sweet as I imagined” Sighed Harley, opening her blue orbs.

Meghan swallowed.

_ Well, this escalated quickly. _

She pounced.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Smiles nervously*
> 
> So, what do you think? I’ve never written a lemon before, and I wasn’t planning on it, but it just,...wrote itself, I guess.
> 
> This isn’t exactly how I imagined this chapter would go, but I’m not disappointed with it or anything.
> 
> So, what did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Be honest!
> 
> We’ll be seeing more Harley/Meghan in the next chapter! And, we’re gonna get a glimpse to Doctor Quinzel childhood.
> 
> I believe I promised you a Lex/Meghan scene; sorry, but it’ll have to be later on. It wouldn’t fit the chapter, and it's’ frustrating because I’m really excited about it!
> 
> Have a nice day :))


	8. Medea

Muffin

Chapter 7: Medea

  
  


Meghan laid on her bed, staring at the lilac ceiling with a blank expression.

“ _ The fuck did I just do?” _

_ Lose your “V” card, but officially. _

_ I barely know her, and her crazy-ass boyfriend is trying to kill me. _

_ That’s the power of hormones for ya’ _

“Muffin?” 

Moving her hair out of her face, Meghan sat up, supporting her weight on her elbows.

Harley was looking through her closet with a frown.

“You got something that would fit me?”

_ Don’t crack a dick joke now, missy. _

“Um,... you came all the way from Gotham and didn’t bring a change of clothes?” asked Meghan.

Harley shrugged, placing a pair of grey yoga pants over her hips.

“I don’t tend to think of my plans until I’m halfway through ‘em”

Meghan got up and walked towards her, starting to look for something.

“Am I part of a plan of yours?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

The blonde giggled.

“Don’t worry, Muffin. It ain’t a bad one”

_ For who? _

“Isn’t” corrected Meghan, giving her a sideway glance.

“Sorry?”

Harley seemed amused, and Meghan blushed.

“Here,” she handled her a black hoodie “this is the only thing I have”

“Thanks!” Harley kissed her cheek before heading towards the bathroom.

SIghing, Meghan looked around the messy room.  Not letting herself think about what had happened a few hours prior, she set herself to the task of changing the sheets.

It was nice to have something to do. It took her mind off things. She knew she had to be back home soon; Tony usually gave her her personal space when she needed it, but he would start to get worried by the next day.

She didn’t know for how long Harley would stay, and she feared of what the blonde would for if left alone.

Frowning, she tried to find a logical explanation for her behavior that morning. She had never let herself be ruled by emotions, and there it came Harley, and in less than five seconds she could have Meghan doing her bidding.

It worried her.

* * *

 

She was stuck in the apartment.

A snow storm had decided to honor the streets of Manhattan, and it was dangerous to go out. She got a text from Tony telling her to stay where she was until it passed, and asking if she had enough food.

She hug herself, trying to keep warm, and turned on the fireplace.

Harley came out of the bedroom towel-drying her hair. Her eyes set on the snow outside and she smiled.

“Well, that’s a shit of a storm. It’s so pretty! Do you have a camera?”

Meghan unlocked her phone and opened the app, handling it to the blonde without saying anything. All of her apps had a special code, and chances of Harley figuring out even one of them were pretty slim, so she didn’t have anything to worry about.

Sitting in front of the fire, Meghan extended her hands, trying to get warm. 

Harley sat next to her.

“You did it wrong” she said, moving the wood around and blowing air into the fire “See? It needs to breathe”

Meghan nodded.

_ I wonder if she’ll kill me now, while I can’t get out. _

Harley watched her for a few seconds.

“Muffin? How come I haven’t seen you going out these past few days?”

At that, Meghan’s head whipped, and she had to take a breath before talking.

“What? Have you been following me?”

“No,...maybe. I was curious!” she defended herself, raising her hands defensively “You’re kinda weird, and I wanted to see how you interact with other people”

Meghan sighed, wondering why she was surprised at the news.

“And what were your conclusions?”

“You don’t” She gave her a look, pretending to feel pity “You don’t have friends, do you?”

“I have Nat”

“A russian assassin who’s god knows how older than you AND your babysitter doesn’t count”

Meghan didn’t dare to look her in the eyes. She had tried to make friends, when she was five. The other kids made fun of her because of the way she talked and dressed; they only invited her to their birthday parties because their mothers forced them. After her mother died, they stopped making fun of her, and chose to stay away, making way for her as she walked down the corridors, and whispering behind her back about the bruises she couldn’t hide or the way she would sometimes walk. After Tony took her in, things got slightly better. She could talk to him, and unlike the kids from her previous school, he understood her language. Natasha had her ways to make herself trustworthy.

There were also her three musketeers. Meghan smiled while remembering them. 

Bucky, Peggy and Steve. Only Peggy went to her school, a private one on the upper east side, and she had been the only one to be kind to her.

 

_ Peggy Carter didn’t talk to Meghan during the latter’s first two weeks in her new school. One rainy wednesday, Peggy stayed for detention after talking back to the history teacher (the man had made a sexist comment about Henry the eighth’s wives) and as she walked towards her locker, she heard some snickering behind a door. _

_ “Oh! Look at that!” she recognized Claire’s voice “She’s about to cry” _

_ She opened the bathroom door and saw Claire and her colleagues pushing around a fifteen year old Meghan. _

_ “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled, taking Meghan’s backpack from them. _

_ “Stay out of it, piggy” said Claire. _

_ Meghan didn’t know what happened, she didn’t dare to look up. Claire and her friends ran out of the bathroom crying, and a few seconds later, a pair of expensive heels were in her line of vision.  _

_ She backed against the wall. _

_ “It’s alright” said a gentle voice with british accent “Here’s your bag. I’m afraid you’re gonna have to fix the zip.” _

_ Meghan took the bag with shaky hands and looked up. Warm brown eyes and a crimson smile met her. _

_ “I’m Peggy, Peggy Carter” said the other brunette, extending her hand. _

_ Meghan took it, drying off her tears with the other hand. _

_ “I’m Meghan.” _

_ Meghan knew that Peggy knew her last name, but she didn’t say anything. _

_ “Why were they bothering you?” she asked, walking towards the sink and taking a handkerchief out of her pocket. _

_ Meghan didn’t know anybody who carried handkerchiefs, especially not one so personalized. It was white, with yellow and red flowers embroidered in it. _

_ “They need a reason?” Meghan answered with another question. _

_ Peggy smiled through the mirror. _

_ “I guess not” _

_ She dried Meghan’s face with the handkerchief while talking about the different subjects she was taking that year. _

_ “I swear, I don’t know what I was thinking by taking art, but Steve said it would be easy” _

_ Meghan didn’t say anything. She couldn’t inscribe to the art class, so she took music, which always gave her headaches. Most kids wanted to play the triangle or the guitar, and they weren’t very talented or hardworking. _

_ She walked Meghan towards her locker and asked her to join her and some friends at a café. Meghan wanted to say no, convinced that this was another trap, but Peggy was dragging her down the street before she could say anything. _

_ She met Bucky and Steve there. James, as  Meghan called him to annoy him, was rather tall (everybody was, compared to her) with black hair and playful blue eyes. He had what Natasha would call a “Fuck me voice”. He flirted with everything that moved with two legs, and was quite fun to talk with. Steve was almost as short as Meghan, scrawny, with blonde hair and kind blue eyes. He tended to stutter in front of the brunettes, and it was quite endearing. _

_ Peggy was strict, Steve shy and Bucky too relaxed for his own good, but they seemed to work together like pieces of a puzzle. They all had something Meghan didn’t, and she envied them for it: a strong sense of duty and loyalty. _

_ They became Meghan’s friends long before she became theirs, too scared to let her guard down. When Bucky’s dad got sick, Meghan offered to pay his medical bills, but he refused. The same happened with Steve and his mom. _

_ She had respected their wishes, and stuck to their side during their grief. _

_ Meghan’s best summers were those she spent in the company of those three. Helping Bucky with one of his conquests, and developing Steve’s social skills so he could ask Peggy on a date. _

_ She wasn’t too surprised when it was Peggy the one who asked Steve to be her date for the school dance. _

_ Meghan sat on the dirty floor outside the school, when she heard that unmistakable voice. _

_ “Whatcha doin’ down there, doll?” _

_ She smiled, looking up to see Bucky, with his hands full of plastic bags, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. _

_ “Waiting for Happy. He’s stuck in traffic. You?” _

_ He raised the bags. _

_ “Mom has made me her slave” _

_ Meghan rolled her eyes, standing up, dusting her skirt and extending a hand. Bucky handed her two bags. _

_ Adjusting her backpack, she began walking towards the station. _

_ “Won’t Happy be looking for you?” _

_ Meghan shrugged. _

_ “He’ll probably take too long. I’d take a cab, but I left my wallet in my room” _

_ Bucky didn’t say anything, falling into step with her. He kept his strides slow, for which Meghan was thankful. The guy had long legs. _

_ It didn’t surprise her when he started talking less than two minutes into their journey. Bucky wasn’t one for silence, and he was particularly good at making Meghan laugh.  _

_ He told her about how he was trying to teach Steve how to dance, so he wouldn’t step on Peggy too much. _

_ “The idiot fell and took me down with him. That’s how is Ma’ found us. You should have seen his face!” Bucky threw his head back, laughing while Meghan tried not to “He looked terrified, and tried to explain what was happening. Mrs. Rogers was disappointed that we weren’t a thing” _

_ She tried to imagine Steve on the floor, with Bucky suffocating him, and a very confused Mrs. Rogers. The picture bought up a giggle. _

_ Bucky asked something, but a claxon overlapped his voice. _

_ “Sorry” said Meghan, covering her ears “What?” _

_ “I asked you: who’s the lucky pal you’ll go to the dance with?” _

_ Meghan blushed and looked down. _

_ “Oh. No, no. I’m not going” _

_ He frowned. _

_ “Why not?” _

_ “Nobody invited me” muttered Meghan, feeling small. _

_ “Bunch of dickheads” _

_ An elderly woman gave him a nasty glare, but neither noticed as they stopped on the corner. _

_ “You can still go, you know” he gave her a little nudge on the side “Pegs and the punk will be there” _

_ The girl sighed, watching the red light turn green. _

_ “I’d hate to be a third wheel. Besides, Claire will be there” _

_ “You mean American Draco? Fuck her, Meg. Not literally. With her attitude, her cooch must be drier than the Sahara.” _

_ “James!” Meghan went red, looking in all directions to make sure nobody was listening to them. _

_ “Well, it’s true. She’s not even pretty enough to compensate” _

_ “God” _

_ “Yeah, not even god can help her.” _

_ Meghan laughed. It was a genuine, warm laugh. The third Bucky had heard in two years of knowing her. He smiled from ear to ear. _

_ He loved that laugh. _

_ “I’ll take you” _

_ She gave him an odd look. _

_ “Sorry?” _

_ “To the dance. I’ll take you, show those assholes what they’re missing” _

_ She shook her head, stopping at the entrance of the subway. _

_ “No. You don’t have to. It’s just a stupid dance, Buck. I don’t even wanna go” _

_ “It’s not about wanting, it’s about getting the ‘High School experience’. You know, football games, prom and stuff” _

* * *

 

_ I _ _ n the end, Bucky did took Meghan to the school dance. _

_ He looked rather dashing in his borrowed suit, and he and Meghan made quite the couple. _

_ She wore a blue dress that matched his eyes and tie, and her hair down, because she knew Bucky had a thing for loose hair. _

_ He forced her to dance all night, and surprisingly, Meghan enjoyed herself. He was a good dancer, but also a funny one, constantly pulling off ridiculous moves to make her laugh. _

_ Peggy and Steve joined them, but they took a break when the latter got tired. _

_ A slow song started to play, and Bucky bought her close, placing his hands on her waist. _

_ Meghan hugged him close, resting her cheek on his shoulder. _

_ He started humming the lyrics and she smiled, closing her eyes. _

_ “Meg?” _

_ “Mm?” _

_ She looked up, and the next thing she knew Bucky had locked her lips in his. _

_ Surprised, she closed her eyes, wishing fervently she could like him. _

_ Meghan returned the kiss without thinking, letting instinct take over. _

_ Bucky held her tightly, but his hands never wandered. _

_ When they separated, he placed his forehead against hers. _

_ “I’m sorry” he said, taking a strand of hair and placing it lovingly behind her ear “I’m sorry.” _

_ “It’s ok” assured Meghan, holding onto him. _

_ He opened his eyes, and the look he gave her took her breath away. _

_ It wasn’t a brotherly affection, nor lust, but love. Pure, raw love. _

_ She hated herself, and wished she could go back in time and do something to avoid that look, to make him not love her. _

_ “If I weren’t a guy…”he began, but stopped himself, swallowing and caresing her cheek with such tenderness it sent a wave of guilt all over her body “I just wished you wouldn’t lock yourself. Let us in, Meg. Let me in.” _

_ She hug him close, burying her face on his neck and inhaling. _

_ Bucky held her with the same need, drawing small circles in her back. _

_ I wish I could like boys. _

_ She let a tear slip. _

* * *

 

“I do have friends” said Meghan, making herself comfortable in front of the fire.

“Where are they?”

“Two of them joined the army, the other is an art student”

Harley raised her eyebrow.

“How come I didn’t know about them?”

“Your stalker skills are getting bad. You should practise, in people who are not related to me in anyway, if you please.”

Harley grinned, taking Meghan’s arm in her strong hands.

“C’mon, Muffin. Don’t be like that”

Meghan tried to set herself free, but Harley pushed her to the floor, quickly climbing on top of her and pinning her down.

“Let me go” she struggled, ignoring the way something damped between her legs.

There was something about being helpless in the blonde’s grasp that made the room feel too hot, but she liked it...In a really fucked up way.

“But you don’t want me to”  she whispered, playing with her earlobe.

“Yes, I do”

“No, you don’t”

She kept on struggling.

“Harley,...”

“Until you have to go back to Gotham, then I’ll leave you alone” she looked her in the eyes, giving her a devilish smile “Pinky promise?”

She held her pinky up.

_ You know this is a bad idea. _

Her hips moved up in their own accord.

Meghan raised her pinky.

* * *

 

They were able to go out after the third day.

Harley had suggested they waited, knowing about Meghan’s over sensibility to the cold, but the brunette had refused, saying that she needed a change of air.

Harley suggested they go to a party, and Meghan, still drunk with the blonde’s intoxicating presence, followed suit.

They went shopping first. Harley choose a tight, red dress. Meghan couldn’t help but think of their first date, Harley had worn the same color,...and they had killed someone.

She was sure the clown’s girl had done it on purpose.

She persuaded Meghan to wear a pair of revealing black shorts and a white top.

“We’re going to freeze to death” she warned the blonde, handling the cashier her credit card.

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep each other warm”

Meghan blushed, looking away.

* * *

 

 

Meghan knew, the minute they walked into the club, that something bad would happen.

It was all a blur.

She remembered only relaxing after making sure nobody noticed who she was.

She remembered getting a whole bottle of vodka, and sharing it with Harley.

She remembered Harley telling her to let loose, and taking her to the dance floor.

She remembered the way Harley’s body felt against her, swaying her hips against hers, and the music making it impossible to form a coherent thought.

She also remembered how the blonde took care of her, walking her out and towards the alley next to the club, and how she held her hair and rubbed her back while Meghan puked. After that, Harley gave her some water and a few mints.

She remembered how a guy had tried to hit on Harley, and how before the blonde could even process what he had said, Meghan had interfered.

The next thing she remembered was how she had thrown the guy to the floor, and how she had smashed his head against the concrete.

Harley had took her hand and they ran, laughing like maniacs.

When Meghan woke up, she wondered how neither of them hadn’t twisted an ankle with those killer heels.

With some dried blood still stuck on her face, she turned around to find the other side of the bed empty.

There was a small note, with surprisingly delicate handwriting.

It said:

‘Go back to sleep. I’ll take care of everything’

It dawned on her, what she had done. Again.

_ Oh,shit. _

She sat on the bed abruptly, burying her hands in her hair and pulling.

_ You enjoyed it. _

There was no denying it this time.

 

* * *

 

“Jarvis?” called Meghan as she set foot on her father’s penthouse in Stark Tower.

“Yes, miss?”

“Is dad here?”

She took off her gloves and scarf, walking into the living room and letting them fall on the couch.

“In the kitchen, miss”

She hurried there, finding Tony exploring the fridge. His head was buried there, and he was making strange noises, as if he had never seen the interior of a fridge.

“Don’t you get lost there”

He jumped, hitting the back of his head, and Meghan made the effort not to laugh.

“Damn it, kiddo! Don’t do that”

“Sorry”

It didn’t really sound like she was sorry, but Tony said nothing, motioning to the grey stools, where Meghan took a seat.

“Have you been eating? You look like shit”

“Gee, thanks a lot” she buffed, although it felt nice to have a caring parent,...not that she would ever tell him that, of course. “Yeah, but I could use a sandwich”

Tony put himself to the task, getting everything ready to make the sandwich.

Meghan watched him with an amused smile. He put so much care into what he was doing, as if he expected Ramsay Gordon to appear in the doorway and started yelling at him.

Tony hadn’t know how to even make some tea until Meghan taught him to. She had taught him some basic stuff, and stopped after he burned the kitchen down making pasta.

_ At least he tries. _

“So,...”he began, adding as little mayonnaise to the bread as he could, knowing his kid wasn’t fond of it. “Did you get too bored locked up in that apartment?”

Meghan blushed, and thanked whatever God was out there that Tony wasn’t looking at her.

“Nah, I slept and read for most of the time”she dismissed.

“Careful, you could hurt yourself doing one of those”

“Hilarious” she clapped her hands together “How’s Pepper?”

She didn’t really care that much, but it would have been odd not to ask.

Tony sighed.

“She took a leave to visit her mother”

He tried to hide his true emotions, but even when he avoided her eyes, she could tell he felt hurt. 

Meghan stood and walked around the table.

“I’m sure she’ll be back soon. She just needs to come to terms with what happened”

She placed a gentle hand on his arm, and he finally turned towards her, unshed tears in his eyes.

“I lost that baby too”

She refrained herself from narrowing her eyes in annoyance, and from telling him it wasn’t the same for him, that Pepper had carried that child inside of her for months, that she was the one who suffered more changes both during and after the pregnancy.

Instead, she put on a sympathetic smile.

“I know, dad; but you can’t fix everything”

_ Good riddance. _

* * *

 

  
  


When she woke up again, Harley was fast asleep next to her.

She had her back towards Meghan, and was snoring softly.

The brunette sat up, looking out the window to the setting sky. She couldn’t believe she had slept for so long.

Throwing the blankets off of her, Meghan got up, stretching lazily.

Her eyes fell once more on Harley’s exposed back, and she moved to cover her when she noticed the small red stain on the sheets.

Compassion hit her, and she walked towards the bathroom. Turning on the lights, she opened the faucet, letting the tub be filled with warm water and adding a pink bomb.

Going back into the room, she laid back, snuggling close to her companion.

“Harley?”she called softly, moving her blonde hair from her face. Without thinking, she placed a small kiss on her pale shoulder “Wake up. There’s a seven-foot tall chocolate bear with your name on it”

“Chocolate?” the blonde began to sit up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

“Yup, but you should take a bath first”

Harley gave her an odd look, then, she frowned. Confusion turned into realization, and realization into irritation.

“Ugh! It’s the curse” she got up and went to the bathroom with long, strong strides, closing the door behind her with a little too much strength.

Meghan smirked, and set herself to the task of changing the bedsheets.

* * *

 

Harley walked out of the bathroom wearing Meghan’s robe, and with the grumpiest expression the brunette had ever seen.

She stopped mid-step as her eyes fell on the bed full of snacks.

Meghan had moved the T.V into the room, and was finishing the installment when she noticed Harley standing there.

She got up, feeling extremely stupid all of the sudden. Maybe she had done too much. She didn’t even know why she was being so nice to someone who wasn’t good for her.

_ You do know why. _

_ Shut up. _

“I-I prepared a water bag if you want it. It always helps me with cramps”

Slowly Harley nodded, approaching the bed as if she thought a monster would jump out at any second. 

“Muffin?What’s this?”

Meghan scratched the back of her neck.

“I though,...I mean, I know how shitty you can feel in days like these,...so, um…”she pointed at the extreme amount of snacks “Yeah.”

Harley giggled, nervous.

Meghan tilted her head, starting to feel curious. Harley was the kind of person who seemed to have been through it all, and she didn’t fully understand why she would be so nervous over something so simple as an afternoon of junk food and disney movies.

_ She’s one of the most dangerous criminals of the country; surely she thinks I’m an idiot for doing this. _

“You know what? This was stupid” she got closer to the bed, set into taking everything back to the kitchen.

A hand on her arm stopped her, and she turned to look at Harley, whose blue eyes were still glued to the bed.

Meghan hadn’t noticed before, but the lack of crazy make up accentuated the colour of her eyes, giving them an enticing glow.

“Why would you do this?” she asked in a small voice.

Meghan didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t thought much about Harley’s reaction to what she had done, but she definitely hadn’t expected this,...it was almost as if Harley were sacred, as if she didn’t know how she was supposed to react.

“I don’t know, I,...I guess I thought it’d be nice” she watched her closely, and her hand moved up in her own account, taking a strand of hair and placing it gently behind her ear. Harley tensed up, and she flinched when Meghan’s small, delicate hand moved to caress her bruised cheek.

“Not everybody wants to hurt you, Harl” she said softly.

Harley searched for her gaze, and once their eyes locked, she didn’t let go for several moments. Meghan realized she was looking for a trap in her eyes, so she gave her a warm smile.

_ Poor thing, she has known so little kindness. Was I ever like that? _

She took her pale, tattooed face in her hands and leaned in, placing a sweet kiss on her lips.

Harley gasped, not closing her eyes. It was almost as if she had never been kissed that way.

Meghan was insisting, until the blonde gave in, hesitantly returning the affection, placing her hands on the brunette’s small waist.

It was over too soon, and when Harley opened her eyes, Meghan was smiling at her, and it was such a kind, genuine smile, she felt bad for ruining her the way she was doing it.

But deep down, she knew she couldn’t, didn’t want to stop.

For a moment, she let herself be spoiled. She got into bed and placed the hot water bag against her abdomen, feeling better almost instantly.

Meghan took the remote and got into the other side of the bed, keeping some distance between her and Harley.

She went into Netflix and choose a movie about a girl who wanted to open her own restaurant and a frog.

Harley didn’t say anything, trying to relax in this new environment.

Meghan didn’t push her, she remained on her side eating popcorn.

When the second movie started (one about a princess with amnesia) she felt movement, and a few moments later, a head falling on her shoulder.

Harley snuggled next to her without uttering a word.

“Harley?”

“Wha’?”

“Where did you go last night?”

Meghan knew where she had been, but still, she needed it hear it from her.

“I took care of it”

She didn’t need to specify.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you cover me?”

Harley didn’t say anything, and after a few minutes passed by, Meghan guessed she wouldn’t give an answer.

“I’m not sure”

Meghan nodded, taking a handful of popcorn.

“Are those insects dancing?”

“Yes, but I’m more curious about the wig he just gets out of nowhere”

Harley buffed, snuggling even closer.

“Harley?”

“Mm?”

“I need your help”

“You killed someone else?”

Meghan rolled her eyes.

“I need fashion advice, and since Natasha’s not available…”

Before she could finish, Harley sat up, a big smile on her face.

“Yes! Oh! I get to play doll with ya’. You won’t regret it, Muffin Promise!” forgetting all about russian men in wigs and dancing insects, Harley gave her a look from head to toe.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Do you know who Lex Luthor is?”

“Creepy guy with a nervous tic and daddy issues? Yeah. He’s kinda hot, when you forget the crazy part.”

_ Well, she’s one to talk. _

“Yeah. Him. It’s a charity event, something about books. My dad can’t go, so I’ll take his place” Meghan sighed “It’s the only reason I’m allowed to go back to Gotham”

They had talked about it in her visit earlier. It had taken some convincing, but Tony had agreed, as long as she stayed with Bruce the whole night.

Harley nodded.

“We’ll find you something. Maybe we could have our own after party” she winked.

Meghan sighed, knowing that the crazy had been due any minute. This new side of Harley was  safe, a side that would allow for something beautiful to grow between them.

Then there was the other side of Harley. The side that could subtly persuade Meghan of committing such an atrocity as murder in less than five minutes, the one that could bring out her most primal, darker side. The side that, to her own horror, she preferred.

* * *

 

“Hey, Alfred”

The man looked up from the vegetables he was cutting.

“Ah! Miss Meghan! It’s so good to have you back. How did you spent your holidays? How is Miss Pots handling everything?”

Meghan looked around nervously. She hadn’t spoken to either Alfred or Bruce since the funeral, and she wasn’t sure if they would blame her for Jason’s death.

_ Well, technically, it is your fault. _

“It was,...quiet. Pepper is trying to cope with it. She took a few days off”

“Of course” nodded Alfred, wiping his hands on his apron. “C’mon. You must be hungry. I made your favourite: chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps you would like some tea?”

Meghan nodded, taking a seat as Alfred began to prepare the tea.

“Alfred?”

“Yes?”

“How’s uncle Bruce?”

She still had to speak with him about what she had discovered, although, there wasn’t that much to talk about. She only needed to reassure him that she wouldn’t tell anybody about his secret identity.

It made her so nervous her stomach hurt. Her uncle was the vigilante, and she had,...something with one of his enemies.

Did Harley know who Bruce was? Probably not.

She was sure Bruce didn’t know about her time with the blonde psycho, otherwise, he would have done something about it.

_ Probably send us both to jail for murder. _

“He’s been keeping himself busy with work” Alfred set a plate with cookies in front of her “I was hoping your presence would help”

Meghan grabbed a cookie, but didn’t even bought it to her mouth.

“He doesn’t blame you, Miss Meghan.” Alfred assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder “Neither of us does. We are just glad that you’re safe”

_ Until your crazy fuck buddy decides it’ll be fun to cut you to pieces. _

Meghan smiled, biting the cookie.

 

* * *

 

 

“Keep an eye on the assistant” muttered Bruce in her ear, walking away.

She looked around, easily locating Lex’s assistant.

Meghan hadn’t wanted to know much about the situation, so Bruce only told her the essentials: he needed something from Lex Luthor, something that required some hacking, and her only job was to try and stall the sneaky assistant.

She was glad for the amount of people heating up the room. It was a cold january night, and she had almost ran from her car to the entrance, completely ignoring the paparazzi and reporters yelling her name.

Bruce had given her a nod of approval. She wore a skin colored dress that Harley had chosen for her. Meghan had been surprised, she thought that the psychiatrist would have chosen something flashy and bold, but the dress was perfect for the occasion. She had paid a stylist to do her makeup and hair, which had been twisted in an elegant updo. It pulled at her skull in some places, and she couldn’t wait to get back to the mansion and let her hair loose again.

Bruce walked further into the crowd, blending in easily.

Lex Luthor took the stage and began a rather interesting speech.

Meghan rolled her eyes, walking towards the bar.

“Martini. Dry” she asked the bartender, who gave her a doubtful look.

She glared back, and he didn’t say anything, handing her her drink.

Natasha had taught her that look.

She took a small sip, her eyes taking turns between Luthor, his assistant and Bruce.

“Prometeus went with us, and he ruined Zeus’s plan to destroy mankind…”

She noticed a man following Bruce, and was quick to text him a warning.

Taking her drink, she followed her uncle, noticing how her target eyed him suspiciously.

Luthor assistant began to walk towards the stairs, and Meghan rushed towards her, playing the role of the distracted drunk.

She made herself trip over her own feet, and fell against the dark haired woman, spilling her drink on her expensive dress.

“Oh my god!” Meghan stood with the help of the man who was following Bruce “ Thank you, darling”

She turned towards the assistant, who was glaring daggers at her.

“I am so sorry about your dress. I think I’ve had too many drinks” she put on a clumsy smile and her best drunk voice “I promise I’ll have it cleaned, or I’ll buy you a new one. Your choice”

The woman tried to follow Bruce down the stairs, but Meghan grabbed her by the arm.

“Really, I want to do something. I swear it was an accident. Let me help you”

She took a napkin from the waiter and began to dry her, but the assistant janked her arm, throwing Meghan off balance.

She walked down the stairs, but before Meghan could follow, another voice held her in place.

“Miss Stark? Are you alright?”

She turned towards the man. He was handsome, she supposed. Tall and muscular, with black hair and blue eyes covered up by glasses. 

Most girls would have been drooling all over him.

“Yeah? I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you”

He extended his hand, and she shook it.

“Clark Kent, Daily Planet”

“Oh. Right.” she sighed, trying to find an excuse to leave “My father has made a donation. He’s absent tonight due to personal matters. Goodnight, Mr. Kent”

“Wait”

She stopped dead in her tracks, and her eye twitched.

“Yes?”she gave him a fake smile.

Clark was frowning, as if she had kicked an old person.

“Your father held a press conference a few months ago, where he announced he would shut down the weapon division, and saying that Stark Industries would begin to work on clean energy”

“That’s right” Meghan raised an eyebrow, predicting his question.

“It’s been a while, Miss Stark, and yet we have not received any news on your father’s new project.”

“You will ask me if I deem my father a liar”

He tried to give her a smile, but no dimples would buy her.

“Not, not exactly, Miss Stark. What I meant…”

Meghan didn’t care what the press said about her, but she felt her blood boiling whenever they would insult her father in some way.

_ Calm down. You don’t want to make a display in a public place. _

_ He’s insulting my father. _

_ Still. _

“I know exactly what you mean, Mr. Kent” she took a step closer, until they were standing so close their chests brushed with each breath. She was breathing heavily “My father is many things, but a liar is not one of them. The weapon division has been shut down, as I’m sure you know, and Stark Industries  _ is  _ indeed trying to work on clean energy; but we are the only company in the world working with it and science, Mr. Kent, takes time. We can’t give you a solution in the blink of an eye, but I don’t expect a low class journalist like you to understand this.”

“Miss Stark,... 

“No. Listen to me, Calvin Klein. The next time you want to frown upon us, do your research.”

Clark tilted his head slightly, not intimidated by Meghan’s outburst.

“And does your father think that changing his work will make up for the damage his weapons had made? For the innocent people he killed?”

“He?” she closed her hands into fists “He didn’t kill anybody.”

“No. He sold to the killers. It makes him as responsible”

She smiled. Such a cold smile, Clark had to look away, feeling the chills running up his spine.

“And who are you to judge? I doubt you’re all innocent and pure”

“I’ve…”

Someone cleared their throat.

They turned to see Bruce with his eyes set on the reporter.

“It’s fine, Meg.” he gave her a quick look “I’ll take it from here”

She didn’t say anything, marching towards the toilet.

* * *

 

She only came out after being sure she wouldn’t start to set things on fire.

She received a text from Bruce. They would be leaving soon.

Exiting the bathroom, she began to walk down a corridor, but her newfound peace was short lived, for Lex Luthor appeared in front of her, a wide smile on his face.

“AH! Ana. Meghan. Stark. Daughter of a billionaire, philanthropic, former playboy”

Meghan forced smile, hiding her annoyance.

“Lex! Long time no see”

“Thank you for coming”

“Thank you for inviting me”

“SO!” he claps his hands together, startling her “How’s college? You learning something?”

“I suppose” shrugged Meghan, not admitting to being a dropout. It wouldn’t look good, especially after her little scene.

Lex smirked.

“I’ve heard you’re having quite the experience”

Meghan tried not to tense, looking around with subtle eyes.

“There was a small incident at a party I went to…”

“Small? A guy was murdered”

“I believe his name was Jason. Yes, it would appear so.”

“It seems you’re like Nix, bringing darkness whenever you go. I just hope everyone survives this party.”

Meghan smile falters.

“I’m not a bringer of darkness, Lex. I wasn’t even at the party when it happened”

“No...but  _ he  _ was after you, wasn’t he?

Yes, apparently, and she knew that coming back to town could only be worse.

“Once upon a time”

Lex gave her a fake incredulous look

“You mean once upon a few weeks ago. I doubt Mistah J would ruin a frat party just because”

Meghan gave him an amused grin.

“Really?”

“...Yup, you’re right. He would do it for fun. But! he did try to kidnap you before”

Meghan sighed, wanting to get out of there.

“There was no way he could have know I would be there, Lex. You know I’m careful with my tracks”

Lex laughed. It was eccentric, and caught the attention of the few staff members who walked past them.

“That you are...or were. Tell me, Meg.” He leaned closer “Have you been making friends?”

“I’m always making friends” she answered, knowing she was starting to lose the battle, not knowing how to get back in the fight.

“Good for you. That thing of the antisocial rebel you had going on was tiring the press...they will love to know that the Stark heir has gone to the dark side”

“Dark side? “ she laughed, throwing her head back and honoring him with a condescending look “Please. I get drunk once and they think I’m a criminal”

“No. No,no, no, no, no.” he shook his head fervently “But the clown taking an interest on you may make them think so”

“Well, just because he wants me doesn’t make me a villain”

“For now” he steps closer, too close for Meghan’s comfort “Tell me, how long will it take before they make you drop your facade?”

She put on a smile again, a mechanical one.

“What facade?”

“The one in which you’re a normal girl with a good heart”

She could feel her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, but tried to keep her cool.

“I’m not the most normal nor the best, but it doesn’t make me a bad person, Lex. With all your reading and philosophy, you should know that”

He smiles and scoffs

“Sure...tell me, Medea; does a good person murder her own child?”

Meghan smile disappeared.

_ Stay calm. Nobody knows. _

_ Someone must know _ _. _

“It was an accident”

He gave her a puzzled look.

“Accident, you say? You are a traumatized fifteen year old carrying the seed of your rapist, and you’re also unfortunate enough to trip and fall down the stairs”

“Yes” her voice turns to ice “An accident. What happened was unfortunate. You know I’m pro-life” 

Luther giggled.

“Yes, I saw your speech,...a good way of hiding the fact that you’re as fucked up as the blonde bimbo you’re sleeping with”

“Who?”

She could feel her patience wearing thin.

“Stop playing dumb, Meg. It may work with your dad and his associates but it doesn’t work with me. Though it will be fun to watch you jump on them like a shark when you start working for Stark Industries.” he placed a finger against his chin, pretending to be pondering something  “I wonder what your father will think when he finds out that his baby girl provoked herself an abortion because a voice told her so”

Meghan stepped closer.

“This may work wit the others, fuckface, but not with me.” she grabbed him by the lapels of his suit, pushing against a wall and taking delight on his yelp of pain, she roared “Threaten me again and I WILL end you”

Letting him go, she felt a brief burn in her eyes, indicating their change of colour.

In any other occasion, she would have been terrified of accidentally flashing her powers to someone, but she couldn’t help but take delight on the terror in Luthor’s face.

Smirking devilishly, she walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait, but life got in the way.
> 
> 1-I had an inspiration boost for my Game of Thrones fic.
> 
> 2-Some stuff got complicated at home. With my mom needing some extra help with the house since most of her co-workers were “sick” and my uncle having some trouble with his son, who seems to have gone back to doing drugs.
> 
> 3-I had to study for this really big test, and when exam periods arrives, my brains loses all it’s creativity.
> 
> 4-One of my dogs died...That one took me by surprise. He wasn’t really old, and the day it happened he was perfectly fine.
> 
> Again, I am so sorry for the delay! I know excuses are lame, but I hope someone out there is still interesting in this story.
> 
> BTW, if you’re a Percy Jackson fan, go check out my new fic. It’s called “Daughter of the Sea” It will be a Luke/Oc, and then it’s going to turn into a Hades/Oc.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
> 
> Have a nice day :)


	9. Make a choice

Chapter 8: Make a choice

  
  


“So, you lost it?” asked Meghan, watching Bruce as he paced around the living room.

He nodded, ignoring the scootch in her hand.

“Some lady took it” he said with a frown.

“Oh! In that case you didn’t lose it”

“I said I lost it!”

Meghan smirked, taking the drink in one gulp.

“Whatever helps your ego, dude”

He sighed, giving her a quick sideways glance.

They had arrived to the manor in silence. Bruce with a frown (deeper than normal) on his face, and Meghan matching his expression. Her conversation with Luthor kept on replaying in her head. She would have to do something about him, soon.

“When did you serve yourself a drink?”

Meghan shrugged.

“When we came in. I’m surprised you didn’t notice but it’s my third”

Alfred walked in with a tray.

“I assumed you must be hungry” he said, turning on the lights.

Until his arrival, the only source of light had come from the bog fireplace, which had given the room a mysterious aura. The fire had played with the shadows, and Meghan had a hard time keeping her eyes away from them.

“Remind me to change the lock to the cabinet” Bruce told him, pointing to the glass cabinet full of expensive drinks.

Meghan snorted.

“Like that’s gonna stop me” she got up and placed the empty glass down.

Walking towards the table Alfred was setting up, she sniffed and almost immediately, her stomach growled. She had almost lost control with Luthor; using her powers increased her body temperature, which made her burn calories faster than the average person. She and Tony had been working on something to help with that, but with everything that had been going on, neither of them had paid much attention to the matter.

Besides, Meghan didn’t really use her powers; she usually didn’t have a good reason to, and she was also scared of what she could do.

 

_ It all began with a documentary on climate change. Meghan was bored, so she decided to watch something on T.V. She hadn’t found anything interesting, so she settled for National Geographic. They talked about climate change, how the contamination was taking its stoll on Mother Earth, and how all the phenomenons happening around the world would get worse until the earth uas uninhabitable. Her dad was trying to create clean energy, but it didn’t mean that Meghan couldn’t create something of her own. _

_ She ran down to the lab, numbers and formulas floating around her head as she tripped her way to her desk. Tony ignored her, for it was normal that she would join him when she didn’t have any homework to do or her friends were unavailable. _

_ She took a lighter and placed her hand over it. Slowly, her hand drifted closer and closer, until the heat of the small flame was unbearable and began writing _ .

_ It felt like the shortest summer in her life, but also the longest. With Steve and Bucky working most of the time, and Peggy away in England with her grandmother, Meghan didn’t have anybody except for her dad, Pepper and Natasha. On occasion, Bruce came down from Gotham, but she never found out, too focused on her work. _

_ Pepper had tried to get her away from the lab, but Tony told her to let her be, that all scientist spent most of their time in a lab. _

_ “But she’s not a scientist, she’s a kid.” Meghan heard Pepper through the other side of the door “She needs to go out with friends, have fun, find a boyfriend” _

_ Meghan had rolled her eyes, smiling greedily at the serum she had created. _

_ “First of all: she’s not a normal kid. She’s a genius. Second of all: not everybody likes to go out” _

_ “You do” argued Pepper. _

_ “Yeah! But I’m me, and you’re you and Meghan’s Meghan” She tried not to smile. There was a strange feel of joy that filled her heart whenever Tony defended her “And third and most important: She’s not dating anyone ‘till she’s seventy, allright? She’s my little girl and I don’t share” _

_ Meghan chuckled, checking the syringe for air. _

_ “Uh, Miss?” Jarvis, the AI, spoke through the speakers on the wall “Are you sure it’s wise? Wouldn’t you prefer to try the serum in a…” _

_ “I’m not using animals, Jarvis” said Meghan. “Record this” _

_ She looked at the deep red liquid with slight doubt. Running through the process again in her head, she nodded to herself. Meghan began with a serum that would allow people to resist hot weather (she choose to go with that one first, she most people she knew hated summer). It would probably work for someone who wanted to go to a country with tropical conditions, and for old people, since they seemed to suffer the season change the most. _

_ Taking a deep breath, she inserted the needle in her arm. She pressed, and the liquid entered her system. _

_ Placing the syringe down, she sighed. _

_ That wasn’t so bad. _

_ She sat there for a few seconds, looking around and swaying her feet, and then she felt it. _

_ Her eyes began to sting, slightly at first, but in less than a minute it was almost too much. _

_ She pressed her hands against her closed eyes, trying to relieve the pain and began to work through the solution as quickly as possible. _

_ “DAD!” she yelled, starting to panic. _

_ She heard the door open, and suddenly the stinging expended throughout her head. _

_ “What is it?” Tony asked, panicking and looking at the mess in her desk. _

_ “Something went wrong” she managed to say, standing up. “I can’t,...it hurts” _

_ It felt as if her head was being stabbed over and over with little metal thorns. _

_ She doubled over herself and clutched her chest as the pain began to expand to the rest of her body. _

_ She felt such agony that she couldn’t think, all logic escaping her, and the temperature so high she was sure the penthouse was on fire. _

_ She tried to open her eyes, but the hot tears streaming down her face made it almost impossible to see. _

_ Looking down, she thought she saw lava running through her veins. _

_ After that, everything went black. _

 

Tony had to put her in a coma for a few days, and when he didn’t find a cure, he woke her up and created a small chamber to keep her cool. 

Meghan hated that box, but it was the only thing she could touch without burning down. She learned to control it, and then, when she got out of the chamber, she created a fabric that could absorb the heat without letting it pass through.

Besides her father and Natasha, only Alfred and Bruce knew of her abilities, and the last thing she needed was  some crazy sociopath like Lex Luthor finding out.

Sitting at the table, she thank Alfred for the steak and dug in.

Bruce took a seat in front of her and started chewing.

Meghan watched him. He had bags under his eyes, and something about his expression told her those bags hadn’t been caused for having fun late into the night.

She put her fork down.

“I don’t think I have apologized about,...well you know...It’s not like apologizing is gonna bring him back, but I feel like…”

“It’s alright, Meg. It wasn’t your fault” he reassured her with a forced smile.

Meghan could tell that he meant it, but it didn’t make her feel any less guilty. She didn’t feel bad about Jason’s death, but Bruce was hurting, and he was family.

“I think I should move back to the old building, you know. It’s closer to campus”

“You don’t go to college anymore” he said without looking up, too busy cutting his meat.

_ That was such a lame excuse. _

“Yeah, but there’s a girl I’m helping and…”

“Meg, you’re more than welcome here” Bruce took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “I sleep better knowing you’re under my protection”

“You mean the Bat’s protection” she said.

They hadn’t spoken a word about the matter yet, with the funeral, and all that happened over christmas and new year, but she figured that the moment would never be perfect.

“Yes” he answered reluctantly.

Meghan looked around the room, slowly chewing her food.

“I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to say now”

“That you won’t reveal my secret identity?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Well, that’s a bit obvious”

He chuckled, taking a sip of water.

“But, really, do you have like,...a secret lair or something like that?” she asked, trying to picture Bruce in some luxurious cave like those cartoons she watched when she was little.

“Yes. I prefer to call it my office”

She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“So,... when can I check it out?”

Bruce sighed.

“First we’ll see how you do on your first week as my assistant”

“Crap. Forgot about that”

* * *

 

The threat of rain persisted on the sky. Meghan looked out the window; some people had umbrellas, and most of them were on their phones, ignoring everything around them.

She wished she could do that, sometimes. Block everything out, the people, the noise, the smells, and the voices.

She waved at Krista, and the small girl waved back, smiling widely as she approached the table.

Meghan stood up and began playing with her hands, not knowing what to do with them. She was wearing a white blouse and black pencil skirt with matching heels, and she felt like a monkey. Not in a good way.

Krista looked her up and down.

“Wow. You look nice” she said, giving Meghan a quick hug.

“Thanks” she muttered, taking a seat.

The other girl did the same, and a barista stopped at their table to take their order.

“So, I went through your essay…” Meghan began, taking out a cope she had printed of Krista’s economy essay.

“How was your,...christmas?” asked Krista at the same time, her cheeks pink.

Meghan’s eyes widened, and she felt like a douchebag.

_ The girl’s coming from a day of listening to this stuff, give her a break. _

“Um,...I’ve had betters” answered Meghan, subtly putting the papers aside. “How about yours?”

Krista’s eyes sparkled as she began rambling.

“Oh! It was great! All of my mother’s side of the family made it, and only half of my dad, but that’s cause my cousins are grounded, and my aunt has them at home studying. They cheated in some big test, apparently, and they’re basically screwed. My brother and I decorated the house, which ended up in a fight, ‘cause he wanted to paint Santa’s clothes black. I mean, who paints Santa’s clothes black? It’s ridiculous”

Krista continued on talking about everything she had done during the break, and Meghan nodded and smiled, not listening. It hurt her head when people talked too fast, but she didn’t want to make her new friend feel bad.

After a few minutes, Krista’s hand reached for her backpack and she took a small box.

“I made this for you” she said, blushing once more.

Meghan took the box with a slight frown.

“Thanks! But it wasn’t necessary”

“Yes it was”

She opened it and saw a bunch of cookies in the shape of snowmen. She smiled, placing them in her handbag.

“Thank you”

“Don’t mention it” She crossed her arms and leaned over the table “You mentioned something about your break not being so great. Something happened?”

Meghan dropped her gaze, feeling uneasy.

“Yeah. Family stuff. But it’s fine now, really”

“You sure? Wanna talk about it?”

“No, I don’t,” she looked up as the barista placed their order in front of them “Talk about it, I mean”

Krista nodded and her green orbs fell upon the essay.

“So, wanna get started?”

Meghan quickly grabbed the essay.

“Yeah. There are a few things I marked here”

* * *

 

Meghan kept Alfred company while he cooked dinner.

“So, how was your first day at work?” he asked, watching the salsa like it was his favourite child.

Meghan looked away from the t.v screen where the news channel was on and gave the butler a small smile.

“It was fine, I guess. Everybody except Bruce was really nice”

Alfred nodded, washing his hands.

“Although I’ll probably won’t wake up for a month once I go to sleep”

“You’ll get used to it, Miss. Now, will you help me with the salad?”

Meghan got up and took a knife and a tomato, getting to the task without making a sound.

They worked in silence for almost a minute, until the reporter caught their attention.

“We have been informed that Lyssa Watson and Melanie García, the ten years old who disappeared just eight days ago, have been found dead this afternoon”

They both turned to see the reporter, a young woman with straight brown hair and grave caramel eyes. Her image was replaced by that of the two little girls. One of them had straight dark blonde hair and brown eyes, and the other girl had a more hispanic look to her, with tanned skin, black hair and dark eyes as well. The picture showed them both smiling widely at the camera, holding each other’s hand.

Meghan had heard something about them on the news, and how apparently, they weren’t the first ones to disappear.

Two boys of nine had been found dead just two weeks prior to the disappearing of those two girls, and a few other pairs had suffered the same fate since September. It was always the same, two kids of the ages between six and thirteen, they were best friends and they would go missing at the same time. So far, they had all showed up dead with signs of physical and sexual abuse and a upside down cross marked on their forehead.

Meghan looked at the screen with a heavy heart. Those poor kids were innocent, and they had a life ahead of them until some sick bastard decided to end that.

“Awful, isn’t it?” asked Alfred, not taking his eyes off the screen, where Lyssa and Melanie were still smiling, eyes full of the kind of purity only children and animals had.

Meghan nodded and turned. Taking the knife, she had to resist the urge of stabbing something.

Someone had to find that person soon, or she would.

* * *

 

She got a text the next day.

Meghan was walking down the street with hers and Bruce’s lunch when she felt her phone vibrating inside her purse. She kept on walking, since she couldn’t reach for the device, and thanked the guy that held the door open for her.

When she finally made it to the right floor, she found Bruce sitting at his desk.

“You’re late” he said, not taking his eyes off the numbers on the screen.

“Sorry. I pressed the wrong button on the elevator” she answered, dropping the food and drink on his desk.

He took the hamburger and dug in like a starved dog. 

“Alfred would have a fit if he found you eating that” she said, putting down her own food on her desk and unlocking her computer screen.

She frowned, the wallpaper had been changed. Where before was a simple ‘W’ now sat a selfie Harley had taken. The picture showed them both in bed, and Meghan fast asleep.

She didn’t waste time in changing it again, making a mental note of checking the computer and upgrade the security when her uncle wasn’t in the room.

“What he doesn’t know won’t kill him” said Bruce, cleaning the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

Meghan took out her phone and checked her messages.

**What up, Muffin? u up 4 a little ride, later?’ it read.**

**You promised you would leave me alone after NY**

The answer arrived almost immediately.

**N u believed me? Such a cutie! :***

Meghan rolled her eyes. Of fucking course.

_ Deep down you knew she wasn’t serious, and you’re glad for it. _

“No, I’m not” she snapped.

“What?” asked Bruce, giving her a quick look.

“Uh, the head of marketing wants to reschedule the meeting to this afternoon, but you already agreed to meet the C.E.O of S.T.A.R.S lab”

“That’s today?” asked Bruce, checking his watch “Ok. Tell the marketing guy to come over tomorrow at ten”

“You have a fitting. The gala at the museum, remember? It’s this saturday”

“Yeah. Change it” He got up and took his jacket “C’mon. You can eat on the way there”

* * *

 

**‘ Can’t. **

That was her answer, and luckily, Harley seemed to accept it.

Meghan looked out the window at the streets of Metropolis.

“Is it just me or is this city much more clean than Gotham?”

“I think even New York is cleaner than Gotham” smirked Bruce, stopping at a traffic light. He turned to Meghan, who had finished her lunch and was enjoying a Snickers as dessert “Your birthday is coming soon”

She rolled her eyes.

“It’s not a big deal”

“We’re throwing a party at the manor. You’ll dress up nicely and you will smile at everybody”

“But no loud music” 

He agreed.

“Invite some of your friends over if you want.”

The light turned green and Bruce pressed the gas.

“It’ll be formal, right?” asked Meghan, already feeling a headache coming.

“Yes”

“Isn’t that great” 

“Sarcasm won’t make me pity you” said Bruce, taking a turn.

“I doubt you’re capable of the feeling” muttered Meghan, taking her purse.

Once Bruce parked the car, they got out and made their way inside the building.

Meghan shivered and placed her hands inside her pockets in the hopes of warming them up a little.

“What’s the meeting about anyway?” she asked, checking her phone.

**Oh Bummer!  Tomorrow?”**

She wanted to say yes; it was a bad idea, but Meghan couldn’t help but want to spend time with the psychiatrist. The electricity that ran through her body every time they were together was intoxicating, and  Meghan was becoming an addict.

**Don’t want to.**

She exhaled with a triumphant smile after sending the text, and quickly wrote another to Krista, letting her know she would be late to their study session.

* * *

 

**Two days later.**

 

Harley wasn’t pleased.

She gave her little toy time to accommodate, to process and accept her actions, and the sneaky little thing repaid her by running around with that ridiculous girl?

She wanted kill that girl, Krista.

Harley snorted.

_ The follower of Christ. _

Well, if her toy didn’t stopped whatever it was that was going on between the two, Krista would be following Christ more closely.

Red sighed, tired.

“I honestly don’t understand you, Harl” she said, with her characteristic velvety voice.

Harley didn’t move from her position in front of the windows. It was raining again, and her puddin was angry at her, again. Pamela had let her stay in her apartment in Toxic Acres. They were the only ones in the neighborhood, nobody lived there thanks to the great amount of toxic waste nearby. Luckily, Red was immune, and she had once given Harley a serum that made her inmune as well.

“What?” asked the blonde.

“You are going to turn her in anyways” dismissed Ivy with a flicker of her hand “Why are you so upset? She’s just going out with friends. Let her enjoy her freedom while it lasts”

Harley turned with a cold stare. Yes, at some point, she would deliver her to her puddin’ herself and gain his forgiveness, but until then, the girl belonged to her. She walked up to her laptop and pointed to the pictures and footage of the Stark girl.

“Look at her” she demanded, pointing to a picture of Meghan and Krista walking down the main avenue.

Ivy barely spared the screen a glance, finding her delilah's more interesting.

“She’s cute” she said, playing around with a delphinium.

“Not her” hissed Harley “LOOK AT  _ HER” _

Ivy raised an eyebrow, seemingly barely impressed by the outburst. Her green eyes fell upon the picture and she studied the other girl. A catlike smirk made way through her face.

“Oh, I see” she chuckled under her breath “You feel threatened”

“I don’t” Harley replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest, defensive upon Red’s mocking tone “I just don’t like sharing”

“Sure” was the sarcastic reply she got “But if you kill the other girl it will drive your pet away”

Harley frowned, taking a seat at Ivy’s table.

Meghan was smart. If she killed this Krista girl, her Muffin would know.

“I need to get her alone” she decided.

Ivy nodded without taking her eyes away from the flower.

“That’s not very hard these days”

“And make sure the other parasit doesn’t interrupt”

This time, it was Ivy turn to snort.

“Good luck with that. She’s like a McDonalds, everywhere you go there is one”

Harley placed her chin on her hand.

“You sure I can’t kill her?”

The look her friend gave her was enough answer.

“Fine”

They remained silent for a few seconds. Harley’s eyes moved across the room, thinking.

Ivy put her flower down and went to the kitchen.

Harley’s eyes fell upon the purple flower.

She smiled and carefully, she picked it up.

“Hey, Red! Isn’t this little cutie poisonous?”

Ivy gave her an unimpressed look.

“Too soon, Harls, too soon”

* * *

 

“Why aren’t you coming back to classes?” asked the green-eyes girl after some time.

Meghan looked up from her book. She had asked Krista to send her pictures of her notes everyday so she could stay updated with the program.

“You finished the exercise?” Meghan avoided the question.

“I don’t understand how the graphic works”

Meghan leaned over the table and checked the numbers.

“You didn’t understand the subject” she deadpanned said.

“Yes, I did” protested Krista, fighting back a blush.

Meghan gave her a brief look.

“Well, I apologize” leaning back in her seat, she crossed her arms over her chest and smirked “In that case; care to explain to me the conclusion you wrote right there?”

Krista looked down at her neat handwriting and coughed while Meghan took a sip of tea.

“Well, you see,...this person,...”

“So, one person caused an unbalance on the demand?”

“Yeah,...’cause this person is super rich and…”

Still smirking, Meghan looked out the window. They were in the same café as the other days. In just five days, Krista had become friends with the employees and the owner of the small place, a kind middle aged man with a prominent beer belly and hungarian accent.

Even though the place was in the middle of MidTown, not a lot of people ventured into the small café, Meghan guessed it was because there was a Starbucks right around the block..

South City Park was right in across the street, and Meghan considered a change of air. Maybe some air would help her companion to focus.

Her eyes widened when she noticed the figure at the entrance of the park, waving at her.

“Fuck”

“Sorry?” Krista looked up with a frown on her pretty face.

Meghan shook her head.

“Nothing. Uh,...why don’t you go over everything you’re struggling with? Mark it while I go,...say hi to a friend of my dad”

“Ok” nodded the other girl, moving slowly.

Meghan got up and took her coat. With fast, light steps, she went outside and crossed the busy street.

“Are you insane?” she asked through gritted teeth.

Harley laughed.

“You already knew that, Muffin” she leaned closer and gave her a small peck. 

“You can’t be here”

“You didn't answer my texts, so I got worried”

“What texts?” asked Meghan reaching into her pockets and taking her phone out “Oh.”

Harley didn’t say anything, tapping her fingers on the seat of her motorbike. It was of a bright shade of crimson, and black diamonds had been painted on the side.

Meghan went through the texts quickly before looking up.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’m helping a friend study” narrowing her eyes, she almost facepalmed herself for not asking the most important question “How did you find me?”

“Is that what they call it now? Study?” asked the blonde at the same time, setting the eyes on the brunette across the street.

Meghan looked back, noticing that Krista was too focused on the book in front of her.

“Harley!”

“Oh! Fine. I got my ways, Muffin. Don’t ya’ worry tha’ pretty lil’ head” she dismissed the matter with her hands.

“Have you been following me?”

“I wouldn’t call it that” replied Harley, placing her index and middle finger against her chin.

Meghan looked around, but the passing civilians didn’t seem to care about them. She took notice of Harley’s clothes. The burgundy skinny jeans and black booths, black jacket and gloves. Her hair was down, and Meghan barely resisted the urge of running her hands through it,

“You promised you would leave me alone” she said, almost pleadingly.

She doubted she was strong enough to stay away on her own.

“Yeah, well, I kinda like spending time with you. So…” she placed her hands on the leather seat and grinned like a madwoman “Wanna go for a ride?”

“No” answered Meghan without hesitation, ignoring the way her heartbeat increased.

“Oh! C’mon! I’ll protect you. Pinky promise” when the brunette did nothing except stare at the finger as if it were a bomb, Harley sighed. Rolling her eyes, she took a step closer and grabbed Meghan by the waist, pulling her against her body. She bit her lobe “You know you want to” purred Harley in her ear.

_ Well? It’s not like you didn’t jump of the bridge already. _

Meghan closed her eyes, forcing her hands to stay in place.

“Ok”

Harley yelped, clapping her hands.

“Yay! Go get your things. I’ll wait”

Meghan didn’t want to be away from her, but she forced her legs to move, crossing the street once again and going inside the café.

“Krista?”

The girl looked up with a soft smile.

“I’m sorry, but something just came up and I have to go”

Krista shook her head.

“It’s fine. It’s almost six anyway” she placed her things inside her backpack and gave Meghan the textbook. “Here. I marked everything”

She took it and placed it on her purse.

“So,...I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked.

Krista gave her a pleading look.

“Tomorrow it’s saturday”

“Yeah, I know” said Meghan, like it was no big deal. Then, she sighed “FIne. See you on monday”

Krista giggled, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks! See ya’ ”

Meghan gave her a tense smile, hoping Harley hadn’t seen that.

* * *

 

She made sure Krista had walked down the corner before crossing the street for the last time.

Harley had her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

Meghan rolled her eyes.

“Don’t start, please. I’m only helping her with a class”

“She likes you”

“No, she doesn’t” replied the brunette, putting on her scarf.

“Yes, she does”

“Look. You’re the one out here with me. Where’s your boyfriend? Now, I’ll go home if you don’t drop it”

At the mention of Joker, Harley’s expression darkened, but she didn’t say anything.

Meghan felt bad for bringing it up. She remembered vividly the bruises she had seen on Harley’s face, and then the rest of her body. The woman had never said how she got them, but Meghan hadn’t need to ask either.

Harley sat on the bike.

“Ready?” she asked.

Meghan took seat behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

Harley cracked her neck to look at her, and their noses brushed when she did so. Looking into the girl brown orbs, she smiled and quickly kissed her nose, back to normal.

* * *

 

Harley spread down the streets of Gotham ignoring all the lights and signs.

Meghan held onto her tightly, completely sure she was going to die.

After almost half an hour, the bike finally came to a stop and Meghan jumped into the sidewalk.

“Jesus christ. I live!” 

Harley smirked.

“Didn’t take you for the religious type, Muffin, but amen”

She took the brunette’s hand and they began to walk down the street.

“Aren’t you worried someone’s gonna recognize you?” 

Harley shrugged.

“I could use that kind of fun. But don’t worry, I usually wear a mask”

“You didn’t have a mask on when we met”

“True” she stopped for a second to think, then shrugged again “Guess I forgot about it”

They kept walking in silence through the fashion district.

Harley was right. Nobody seemed to pay them any attention, two police cars had passed them, and neither had given the pair a second glance.

“Why do you want to spend time with me?” asked Meghan, patiently waiting for the light to turn green.

Harley gave her a sideways glance.

“Are you gonna keep on asking that question forever?”

“Just this one time”

“You’re fun to hang out with”

“We’ve barely spoken a word in half an hour”

“There’s no need to be talking all the time, Muffin; but if it bothers you…”

“No! On the contrary, but you must have a lot of friends”

“You really think someone like me has friends?” asked Harley, tilting her head.

“Oh” Meghan thought about it for a few seconds “What about normal friends? You know, not criminals”

Harley avoided eye contact as she pulled Meghan with her.

“I’ve never had any friends” she said, her expression blanc.

“And your family? Don’t you ever go see them?”

“No.” Harley’s eyes seemed to be worlds away, and Meghan had to move her so she wouldn’t collide against a light post. “I haven’t seen them in years. They’re all in Brooklyn, you see” 

“You should’ve told me. I could have drive you there over New Year”

The brunette wasn’t sure of what to do. She had never seen that look on Harley’s face.

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t wanna”

Meghan nodded slowly, deciding it wasn’t the right time nor place to be talking about the matter.

She looked around, thinking hard of a way to cheer her up again. Her eyes fell on a store and she grinned.

“Hey, Harl? Wanna go dress shopping? I got to go to this gala  and I could use some advice”

Harley’s eyes lit up and she squealed.

“YES!”

* * *

 

Two hours later, Harley helped Meghan to decide.

“I like that one” decided the blonde, pointing to the two piece dress Meghan was trying on.

It felt a bit strange; usually it was Natasha who helped her with that kind of stuff.

Meghan glanced at her companion through the mirror.

“Yeah, I’d hit that. And you?” asked Harley, turning to the saleswoman.

The poor middle aged lady didn’t know what to say.

“Hit?” she asked, confused.

“You know, hit”

Harley placed two fingers on each side of her mouth and Meghan took her hand.

“It’s just a silly expression, ma’am” smiled the brunette “She just meant that she liked this one”

“Oh” the woman nodded, watching Harley’s mischievous smile with a sense of uneasiness.

“I’ll take this one, but I’d still like to try on those over there.”

“Of course” nodded the woman, Anna was her name, taking the pile of dresses that had been tossed aside.

Meghan turned to Harley and lightly punched her arm.

“What was that for?” asked the blonde, feigin innocence.

“Stop saying that kind of stuff”

“But it’s the truth” 

Meghan took a black dress and walked towards the dressing room, the blonde psycho close behind her.

Closing the door behind her, Meghan stripped down and looked at the other dress.

“Crap” she muttered, trying to make sense of all the strips.

“Need a hand?”

“How can you tell?”

“Sharp ears. I heard you”

Meghan inhaled.

“Ok”

Harley went in and looked her up and down. Meghan was wearing a pink bralette and panties. The blonde bit her lip.

“Stop that”

She laughed, taking the dress from Meghan’s hands.

“Calm down. Nothin’ I haven’t seen”

“You won’t be seeing it again”  was her reply, her face as red as a tomato.

“We’ll see”

With Harley’s help, Meghan put on the dress.

The soft fabric fell to the ground and they both looked at the mirror.

“Wow”

“It’s hideous” Harley made a face.

“Yeah. Thanks a lot”

“Not you, the dress”

“I’m wearing it”

“Muffin, some things ain’t got  no repair”

Getting out of the ugly death trap, she noticed Harley pensive expression.

“Is that for the gala you mentioned?” she asked, pointing to the two piece, black jeweled dress the brunette had chosen.

“Yeah. At the museum.Why?”

“The same gala where Alexander Magnus’s sword will be revealed?” 

“Yup, but uncle Bruce says it’s a fake. He saw it already”

“Yes, but they also have an egyptian dagger”

Meghan looked at her through the mirror.

“It’s a bad idea”

“Why?”

“It’ll be full of people”

Harley leaned against the wall.

“So? I’ll get in after they close, but I need your help to get in and delete the security footage”

Meghan crossed her arms, forgetting that she was only wearing her underwear.

“What makes you think I can help with that?”

Harley’s pointed look was enough answer.

With a small ‘pff’, Meghan leaned against the other wall. She didn’t really care about the dagger anyways.

“Why do you want it?”

“I got a buyer. I’ll give you thirty percent if you help me”

“Thirty?” Meghan walked out and took the grey dress and back into the dressing room “I don’t think so. Fifty”

“Forty, since I’ll do all the heavy lifting,”

Meghan put on the grey dress and allowed Harley to zip it up.

She thought of those little girls in the news, then she thought of Charles, and she remembered his friends. Those police officers whom had looked away when they carried her mother’s dead body.

“Fine. Forty and I need the phone number of a hitman. A good one”

Harley raised an eyebrow.

“Why? You have the stomach to do it yourself. I’ll help”

She grabbed her hair and pulled it up, moving her head from side to side.

“There’s more than one, and they’re out of town. I can’t leave”

“I see” Harley answered slowly. She didn’t ask anything else “I know of a guy. I’ll find him and take you to him”

Meghan nodded.

“That’ll do” she turned around “So?”

Harley looked it up and down.

“Cute, I guess. What for?”

“Birthday party”

Harley’s blue orbs lit up like a christmas tree.

“It's your birthday?” she started jumping up and down “¡That’s so exciting!”

“Not really. Just a string quartet and a ballroom full of old people”

“And you’re wearing grey for your birthday?”

“What’s wrong?”

Meghan looked down. She liked the dress. It was of a dark grey with jewels around the bust, three quarters sleeves, and V neck..

“Nothin’,...grandma”

“It’s not a grandma dress”

A small ‘Hmph’ was her answer.

“Anyway, what about you? You chose something?”

Harley smirked.

“Oh, yeah”

* * *

 

Meghan paid for the dresses and gave Harley her box. She wanted to know what the blonde had picked out, but she wouldn’t allow it.

They spent some time in an abandoned warehouse near the docks, planning everything.

Harley dropped Meghan off at Robinson park.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow” she checked her phone “I already made sure to get you on the guest list as Susan Barrow”

“Do I look like a Susan to you?” asked the blonde, not getting down from her bike.

Meghan raised her hands.

“It was the first thing that came to mind. Make sure to have a fake I.D just in case”

Harley rolled her eyes.

“I’ll manage. Your uncle?”

“I’ll take care of it. He won’t miss me”

Harley nodded and watched Meghan for a few seconds, then, she smiled.

“It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

“Not for now, no”

She giggled, taking Meghan’s face in her hands and smashing her lips against hers.

“Mwah!” Harley ended the kiss with amused eyes “I’ll see you tomorrow”

With that, she pressed the gas.

* * *

 

Meghan took a taxi to the library. Asking the driver to wait for her, she got out.

There were two big lions on each side of the steps, and a small bush next to the one on the left.

Meghan walked around it and took a jacket. Bruce had placed a tracker in it, and sometimes she would leave it there when she wanted to be alone, or when she wanted to plot something with a criminal.

When she arrived at the manor, Bruce was waiting for her sitting on the steps.

Meghan watched him with her hands on her pocket. She had changed her coat for the jacket.

“You got something for tomorrow?” he asked, pointing to the white boxes.

“Yeah, and for my birthday”

“You know, it could be better if you let me call this friend of mine…”

“No”

“Alright”

He got up and took his keys.

“C’mon, kiddo. I promised to show you something”

* * *

 

He drove all the way through Bristol and then he made a turn, finding a dirt road Meghan wouldn’t have seen unless she was looking for it.

The only light was the one that came from the car, and after a while, she thought they were lost.

She suppressed a yawn, it had been a long day.

“Are you sure this…”

The question died on her lips. In front of them a lake made an appearance, and a house stood proudly on the verge.

Bruce pressed a button and a few bushes moved to the side, revealing a tunnel.

The lights began to turn on as they drove past them, and although Meghan couldn’t see anything, she was excited.

_ This is so cool! _

The tunnel ended, and they arrived at a fancy basement.

It was huge, and everywhere she looked there were different cars and weapons, some older than others.

“Is this where you keep all your superhero stuff?”

Bruce didn’t answer, stopping the car.

He turned to her.

“Now, I want you to be careful…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Meghan was out of the car, running around the Batcave.

“Oh my god!” she yelled, pointing to the Batman suit.

It was the first Bruce and Alfred had ever made.

Meghan pressed her face against the glass, her eyes wide in bewilderment. Soon enough, something else got her eye.

Bruce watched with a worried frown as she ran around, pressing buttons and touching weapons. He trusted her, he knew she wouldn’t break anything, but he still felt the need to sit her down and tie her to the chair.

“Wow! Nice screen” she said, sitting at the main computer “Wanna watch some Netflix?”

In spite of himself, he smiled. It had been a while since she had acted that way, and it was a nice change. Had he known that bringing her with him would have such an effect, he would have done so sooner.

“Ah! Miss Meghan. I see you’re liking the place”

She smiled at Alfred, accepting the keys he gave her.

“What’s this?”

She pressed the button and heard a ‘beep beep’. Her eyes fell upon a black car. It looked similar to the one Bruce used to chase criminals, with a big red phoenix on the hood.

She turned to Alfred and Bruce. The first one didn’t seem so happy, while the latter had a solemn expression on his face.

“Meghan, I am going to ask something of you” he said, approaching her with firm steps; they echoed across the place. He placed a gentle arm around her shoulders and guided her to a dark corner  “Everything’s getting worse. People are murdered everyday, like the little girls on t.v, and someone’s gotta stop them. 

“We have Superman” she argued softly.

“We can’t trust him. He acts on his own and how can we be sure he won’t turn against us one day?” He stood in front of her “It’s not about Superman. The Clown is after you. Meg, I’ve faced him many times and won, but if he got you alone you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“That’s why you convinced dad to let me come back” she guessed.

Bruce nodded.

“Natasha hasn’t come back, and no offense, but you couldn’t win a fight against anybody, even Alfred.”

Behind them, said man snorted.

“We know Luthor is planning something. I’m going to find out what it is. I could do it alone but I rather have you by my side”

“You want me to,...fight crime with you?”

Bruce pressed a button and a small panel opened on the wall. He typed the password and the dark corner he had led her to lit up, showing a suit.

It was red and black. The legs were red, and it had small holes in the shapes of diamonds on the entire length; the top was black with halter neckline.  The belt and boots were also black, but the long, fingerless gloves were the same shade of burgundy as the legs. 

“What do you say?” asked Bruce, offering her a small, black mask.

“Well, I think it’s a terrible idea” spoke Alfred from the back.

“You got a gift, Meg. It’s about time you start using it”

“It’s not a gift. It’s a stupid experiment gone wrong” muttered the brunette, looking at the mask.

Her eyes found Bruce’s. 

What could she do? She had promised Harley she would help her steal a dagger, and her share would go to the dead of some people that probably didn’t remember her, and why? She wasn’t sure. Maybe boredom. Maybe she was evil, and now Bruce wanted her help in saving the people. The last time she had seen herself as a superhero was when she was six, and she would run around with a towel acting as a cape, pretending to save the world.

She wanted to say yes and no at the same time, which didn’t help with her headache.

“The fabric will contain your power, but it will have no effect on the exposed skin.”

Maybe she could be both, for one night, then she would help Bruce. But where did that leave Harley? She would figure that out later; Lex Luthor had delicate information about her, and she wanted to expose him before he did the same to her.

She took the mask.

* * *

 

Meghan scrunched up her nose and took her phone out, changing the song she was listening.

It was almost midday, and she had rushed Downtown in search of a pair of heels, since the ones she planned on wearing for the gala had broken.

She placed the device on her pocket once more and looked up, gasping when her eyes met the end of a gun.

“Empty the purse, pretty eyes” said the rough voice from a man.

She looked around. North City Park wasn’t the biggest in Gotham, but it seemed to be the least favourite for most people, except her.

It was a lovely place, where the plants had vivid colours and there was no trash on the ground. Not a lot of people went to the North park, but those who did knew about recycling.

She had left her car on the other side and walked through it to her predilect shoe store with no problem (like usual). She hadn’t anticipated that situation, and that thought made her want to punch herself.

_ You should. You really thought you could get away for the rest of your life without being robbed at least once? _

She could always scream, but she doubted it would help much. The gun was barely an inch from her, pointing right between her eyes. She had promised Bruce to be his new sidekick, but she still didn’t have any clue about self defense, and by the looks of it, she would never know.

The guy was twice her side both up and to the sides.

“Hurry up!” he grunted, pressing the gun flat against her forehead.

It was curious. She wasn’t scared. Her heart was trying to escape her chest, but Meghan couldn’t identify the feeling, running through her veins and reaching every end.

Before she could move, the man yelped, and in the blink of an eye, he was hanging upside down.

She realized, with fascination, that the green, thick rope holding him wasn’t a rope. It was a plant.

“Tsk, tsk. That’s no way to talk to a lady” said a mesmerizing voice.

She seemed to have come out of nowhere, and slowly walked around the man. Her red silky hair was down, and its soft waves reached her slim waist, covered by a  basil colored dress that seemed to kiss the floor with each step.

The woman bent over and took the man’s face in her hands, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

The man struggled, but in a matter of seconds his eyes closed.

The woman turned towards her. Her green eyes scanned her figure and finally, she smirked.

“Are you alright, doll?”

Slowly, Meghan nodded.

“I’m Ivy, and you must be Meghan”

She picked up the gun and handed it to the brunette, who looked at the offering hand with distrust.

“How do you know my name?” she asked, taking a step backwards.

“If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it already” she pointed to the unconscious man, still held by the plant.

“You did that?” she asked.

Ivy nodded.

“All plants obey me”

Meghan was already thinking in all the possibilities. It was amazing.

“Do they speak to you?”

Ivy gave her a curious look.

“You don’t seem surprised, or scared”

Meghan gave her an amused smirk.

“I’ve seen stranger things” she paused “So, do they speak?”

A strange gleam appeared in Ivy’s eyes, and she slowly walked around the man, her hips swaying softly.

“Oh yes, they do.” She placed a hand against a tree and leaned over it “Do you want to know what they’re saying”

Meghan nodded and Ivy chuckled.

“They say that you have to make a choice: leave this brute for the police or take care of him”

Meghan watched the gun Ivy was, once again, offering to her, and hesitated.

_ What will you do? One more kill won’t hurt you. You’ve done it twice already, and tonight you’ll break another law so you can end more lives. _

_ It’s not the same. I’ll get rid of Charles’s friends, they hurt me. _

_ How? They didn’t beat you, they didn’t kill your mother. _

_ No; but they knew. How is it any different from what Bruce does? He marks someone and then the person gets killed in jail. _

_ Neither of you has the right. Admit it, you want to. _

She shook her head and looked up from Ivy’s gloved hand to her eyes.

“No, thank you”

The redhead dropped the gun near the man and crossed her arms.

“Interesting”

She stepped into the light, and Meghan noticed the slight green tone of her skin. Still, she was stunning.

“You should leave before the police arrives”

Meghan nodded, walking around the man, eyeing the plant with suspicion.

“Thank you for helping me” she said.

“Don’t mention it”

The woman turned and without picking up the skirt, began to run.

“Wait! How do you know me?!” she yelled.

The woman stopped for a second and turned with a smirk.

“I’m friends of a friend. Take care, Muffin”

She disappeared into the line of trees.

* * *

 

Meghan thanked the stylist and looked at her reflection. Her makeup was light, and the guy had let her hair down in soft waves.

Bruce knocked on the door.

“You ready?”

Meghan nodded, taking her silver envelope clutch and heels in hand.

“Did I tell you Krista invited me to sleep at her house after this gala?” asked Meghan, putting on the torture devices. 

“No”

“Well, I’m telling you now.”

“You won’t take any clothes?”

“I gave her a change yesterday” she answered quickly, walking down the elegant wooden stairs.

Bruce followed suit.

* * *

 

Meghan walked around the museum with a bored expression. She loved museums, but she had already visited the Gotham Museum of Antiquities three times, and with the chattering of the guests, it was hard to focus on the attractions.

She stood in front of the musicians and closed her eyes, listening to the delightful music of Shostakóvich.

Her phone vibrated and she took it.

Harley was here. She and Meghan had decided to take a tour of the museum while the gala took place, so it would be easier to find the security room and the dagger.

Turning around, she bumped into someone.

“I am so sorry, ma’am. I didn’t see,...you...there.”

Her mouth hung open, and she had to crack her neck to look at the woman in the eyes.

She was quite intimidating, in an alluring way. She stood out from the crowd, with her dark skin, dark hair and golden dress.

She gave Meghan a small smile.

“Don’t worry. It was an accident” she had an panty dropping accent. She offered her hand “I’m Diana Prince. You are?”

“Gay” answered Meghan, dumbfounded.

The woman, Diana, raised an eyebrow, and Meghan blushed.

“Meghan Stark” she said, accepting her hand.

Diana had a strong grip, but her hands were soft.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stark. Are you enjoying the exhibition?”

“The pleasure is mine. I’ve been here before; it was definitely exciting the first two times I came”

Diana smiled softly and looked over her shoulder to Alexander’s sword.

“But there is something new to see. The sword…”

“It’s a fake. I know about the real one”

The tall woman nodded.

“You know about antiquities”

“I like to know a little bit of everything” she leaned in closer, and Diana did the same “But between you and me, I think everybody except the curator knows its a fake”

“How so?”

A waiter offered them champagne, and both took a glass. Under Diana’s attentive eyes, Meghan took a big sip.

“Have you been in Gotham before, Miss Prince?”

“No, I’m afraid. But it’s a lovely city”

“Really? That’s the last thing I would say about this place” she pointed to an elderly couple talking with Bruce “See those three? They’re the only ones here who are not involved with the mob.”

“Surely they aren’t the only ones” replied Diana, eyeing the small group and then the rest of the room.

“Oh, they are. Everybody else took the chance to meet here and plot”

“Plot what?” Diana frowned.

Meghan shrugged.

“Who knows? Everybody’s got a secret agenda. It’s hard to keep up with all of them”

She saw a flash of blonde hair in the crowd and finished her drink.

“And you?” asked Diana, taking a small sip “Are you involved in all this?”

“You really think I would tell you the truth?” Meghan replied with another question, along with a sarcastic smirk.She pointed to her empty glass “But if you must know, this is why I came”

“You came to get drunk?”

Diana watched her closely.

“And because I got nothing better to do. That’s how boring the life of the one percent is”

“Did you say your last name is ‘Stark’?”

Meghan nodded.

“As in the Starks from Stark Industries?”

“Yeah. That’s my dad. You know him?” she took another glass “He didn’t sleep with you, did he? You look too smart for that kind of mistake”

Diana chuckled under her breath.

“So you’re Howard Stark granddaughter?

“Yes”

A spark of recognition shone in Diana’s eyes, but Meghan didn’t have the time to question her about it.

“Miss Prince” the curator approached the pair with a smile “There’s something I’d like to show you”

The curator of the museum was a short man with grey hair and round glasses. He was a bit full of himself, but Meghan had spoken to him in one occasion. The man knew a great deal, and she had learned a thing or two about antiquities thanks to him. He knew a lot, but he saw little, and it didn’t surprise Meghan that he didn’t notice that the sword was a fake.

He took notice of her presence.

“¡Miss Stark! How delightful to see you again” he took her hands and placed a kiss on each cheek.

“Hello, Mr. Williams. How’s your cat?”

“He’s fine, thank you for asking” he turned towards Diana “I’ve been telling this girl that she choose the wrong profession. With that steady hand of hers and those falcon eyes she should be here, helping me to keep the collection intact”

“You exaggerate”

“Oh, no, no, no. It’s the truth.” he smiled at the tall woman “Maybe you can convince her to join us?”

_ I know of a way she could use to convince you, if you know what I mean. _

“I need to go, now. I just saw a friend” smiled Meghan “Mr. Williams, this is a lovely event. Miss Prince, a pleasure”

She walked as fast as she could, feeling the woman’s dark eyes on her back.

She reached for her phone when a hand wrapped around her arm.

Meghan jumped, only to sigh.

“It’s just me” said Harley.

Meghan snorted, turning around to look at her.

“Just you. Just,...Holy Mother of Nemo!”

_ What day is it? The day of ‘Let’s give Meghan a heart attack’? _

“See somethin’ you like, Muffin?” asked Harley, feigning innocence.

That woman was trying to kill her. She was wearing a deep, red dress, with a plunge neckline. Her legs were exposed, and when Harley took a step closer, she could see everything.

“You’re not wearing underwear” said Meghan, feeling her heart trying to jump out of her chest.

“You can’t exactly wear it with this. It’d look bad”

“Yeah”breathed the brunette.

People would stop and stare at Harley, and Meghan took notice that she looked like a regular person for once. There was no sign of tattoos on her, her makeup was nice and light (not that she needed it anyways) and her hair fell till her shoulders, a nice tone of gold. 

Meghan wondered if it was a wig.

_ Probably _ .

‘Are you sure it’s safe for you to show up here?’ she wanted to ask.

“I met a friend of yours today” was what she said instead. “Red hair, dressed in green, likes plants and to kiss criminals”

Harley grinned.

“You met Red!” she seemed delightful “What do you think? You like her?”

“She kind of saved me, so yeah. I like her”

“You alright, Muffin?” asked Harley, ignoring the way most men were staring at her.

“Yes” answered Meghan, trying to look normal “Just nervous”

“I was nervous my first time too” she took the half empty glass from Meghan “I take the left side of the place and you the right?”

_ Are you really going to do this? You can still back down. _

With a firm nod, they set to work.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: THIS IS IMPORTANT!
> 
> I’m thinking about making Meghan a part of the Justice league? Or maybe make her join the Titans? What do you think?
> 
> Woo! Well, there’s a lot going on on this chapter, and there’s gonna be a hella of a lot on the next one too. Did you like Ivy’s and Diana’s introduction? This isn’t the last time either of them will make appearance.
> 
> God, I’m about to sound like an annoying idiot, but does someone keep reading this? It’s just that there’s never really a lot of feedback (having into account the number of favourites, followers and whatever it is you can do on the site you’re reading this) It’s just that I want to know what you think about this story. I’ve grown fond of this story, and I’m always thinking of ways to make it interesting to the reader, but I can’t know if I’m succeeding or failing at that if you guys don’t tell me. Just a simple “I don’t like this or that” will do. I take my writing seriously and I would love some criticism.
> 
> I’m pretty sure I’ve been saying it since like, chapter three, I think, but now is for real! Guys! Another member of the Suicide Squad will make a cameo on next chapter! Can you guess whom? There are clues in this very chapter. A not so subtle clue.
> 
> For those who wonder what the heck is going on with Mr. J, let me tell you he’ll be back. He enjoys making an entrance.
> 
> We’ll know more about Natasha as well, not in the next chapter, but probably on the following.
> 
> Is there a character that you would like to see? Marvel or D.C?
> 
> Ok, this has been a long-ass note, and if you read this far, sorry about it.
> 
> Have a nice day :) And thank you for reading!!


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